GEORGETOWN, Ky. -- Reggie Kelly is used to being overlooked, that's why he was not fazed one bit by the hoopla surrounding the Bengals' off-season signing of former Colts tight end Ben Utecht.

"It hasn't changed anything to me, it's just opened up the opportunity for the tight ends to get more passes down the field," Kelly said. "He's going to do a tremendous job of catching balls, he and Carson (Palmer) have an amazing chemistry. You're going to see big things out of the tight end position, especially out of Ben Utecht."

That's the kind of unselfish attitude Kelly has exuded in his nine seasons in the NFL and last five with the Bengals. In 2007, Kelly was selected as the team's Ed Block Courage Award, which honors NFL players who demonstrate commitment to the values of sportsmanship and courage.
Palmer has called Kelly "the best teammate I have ever had."

"I really have to reflect on what Carson said about Reggie Kelly, that he's probably the best teammate you could possibly have," Utecht said. "He's a tremendous man. That's one of the things I've come to realize is so important about the NFL. I came from an organization with the Colts that I consider made me a better athlete and a better man, and I can see that in Reggie, too. Not only is he a great athlete, but he really takes his character seriously. And ever since Day 1 since I've come in, he's taken me under his wing and done whatever he could to help me out."

Kelly's equally important on the field. He's a key component of the Bengals' offense, perhaps not as much for the flashy catches and runs, but for his pass protection and run blocking.

"I've been blocking since high school, college and with the Falcons and continuing here," Kelly said. "That's not going to change. I've got to make sure I'm in tip-top shape and my technique is sound so I can open up holes for Rudi (Johnson), Kenny (Watson), Chris (Perry) and DeDe (Dorsey)."

Kelly's blocking ability is something that Utecht noticed right off the bat.

"He's a great tight end. It's one of those things, he's a dominant blocker in the NFL and a lot of times those things don't get the notoriety they deserve. And he deserves every bit of it," Utecht said. "He's a technician, he's so efficient at his craft. That's huge for me, as a young player, to be able to watch and learn from him and see what it takes to be great, like he is."

Last season Kelly had 20 catches for 211 yards and surpassed 1,500 yards in his career.
The addition of Utecht, Kelly said, could open up the offense to be more conducive to throwing to the tight end, and increase his production, even if his playing time is cut some.

"Reggie continues to never let a ball touch his hands that he doesn't catch," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said. "He does a great job, and obviously he's an outstanding blocker, and just a great leader that way. So he's kind of the total package."

The addition of Utecht, Kelly said, expands the Bengals' package. Lewis said he's not sure how much the team's offense will change, but it will give opposing defenses more they'll have to prepare.

"I don't know if it will be one tight end, two tight ends or three tight ends, but it does in preparation for a defensive football team make a difference if you're preparing for a percentage of four or five different personnel grouping as opposed to two or three," Lewis said. "You've got to allow practice time for that. It waters down what you can do in some of your base counts. It certainly waters down what you can do in pressures and things like that because you've got to feel good about adjustments based on motion and formation changes."

Utecht has been impressive so far in camp, showing the big play ability from the tight end position, perhaps limiting the impact of the loss of Chris Henry in the off-season.

"I think Ben has done a good job and there's obviously things that come up, there are adjustments that come up within the scope of a route and the play based on leverage and so forth," Lewis said. "He's really trying to get the nuances of some of those finer points down and is using a little extra time in order to work at those things."

And never did the focus on Utecht bother Kelly.

"It's nothing personal, it's a business. They've got to do what they have to do," Kelly said. "They've got to bring in guys who can help us win. Ben and I have clicked from the start. He's a good kid, and when you have good kids and good guys on your team, you want good things for them. He and I are both Christian guys. We've got to keep working and keep working."