Bengals claim tight end Devin Asiasi off waivers from Patriots following 53-man deadline

The Cincinnati Bengals were awarded tight end Devin Asiasi off waivers from the New England Patriots after the NFL’s claiming period expired Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET.

The 2020 third-round draft choice had been among New England’s moves down from an 80-man roster to a 53-man roster the afternoon prior.

Asiasi, 25, appeared in 10 games across two regular seasons with his former organization. The UCLA product caught two passes for 39 yards and one touchdown while seeing 225 snaps on offense. He did not appear in the preseason finale due to injury, and stood behind a 2022 depth chart consisting of starters Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith.

New England was not awarded a waiver claim on Wednesday after standing 21st in the league’s initial priority order. The 6-foot-3, 257-pound Asiasi marked the lone departure via claim for head coach Bill Belichick and director of player personnel Matt Groh.

Cincinnati’s active tight end room includes Drew Sample, Hayden Hurst and Mitchell Wilcox as the calendar turns to September.