There are plenty of big decisions that are going to have to be made in Cincinnati. The wide receiver room has the opportunity to stay the same for another year or end up incredibly different. Ja’Marr Chase will get his money, Tee Higgins will likely be tagged, but the third member of the trio has gone under the radar when it comes to re-signing conversations. The Cincinnati Bengals should bring back Tyler Boyd.
The Bengals Should Bring Back Tyler Boyd in 2024
Unquestioned Leader
Few players have embodied what it means to be a Cincinnati Bengal than Boyd over the last eight years. Boyd was drafted in the second round out of Pitt in the 2016 NFL Draft and hasn’t taken a single play off in all that time. He’s been a leader in the receiver room while playing with all-time Bengals greats like A.J. Green, Tee Higgins, and Ja’Marr Chase.
Boyd stuck with the Bengals despite some of the worst seasons since the beginning of the Marvin Lewis era. In the first three years he was in Cincinnati, the Bengals went 19-28-1 and were about as uninspiring as could be. However, the team knew his importance and locked him down to a four-year, $43M extension (ending this year). Zac Taylor came in that same year and made sure he had his star receiver opposite Green. Which, looking back, Green was on the decline due to missing the entire 2019 season. Without Boyd, 2019 would have been even worse than the 2-15 mark they limped to.
In that season, Boyd took a step forward as a leader. He is often quoted that he hates to lose, so he had to not only pick up his teammates as the Bengals lost week in and week out, but himself as well. Then, as the Bengals picked up a pair of young, dynamic, WR1-type players in Higgins and Chase, he was suddenly the grizzled veteran.
Despite drafting Charlie Jones as a presumed successor, keeping Boyd in the receiver room would pay dividends. Whether or not the 2024 Bengals includes Higgins, Boyd needs to be extended. If Higgins is gone? It would be even more important.
Sure-Handed
Much has been said about Boyd’s drops over the last two years. In 2023 (prior to Week 18), Boyd has dropped five passes. Last year, he dropped three. Since 2018, Boyd has a total of 20 drops. That seems like a lot but compare that to his 638 targets in that time. He has a drop rate of 3.1%. Even though 2023 has been tied for Boyd’s worst season in terms of drops in 2018, he’s nowhere close to the league leaders Puka Nacua (12), Tyreek Hill (11), or David Njoku (11).
The magnifying glass was tuned in on Boyd during Super Bowl LVI. On third-and-nine with 6:20 to go in the game, the Bengals owned a narrow 20-16 lead. Joe Burrow‘s pass was on the mark and hit Boyd in the hands but it fell incomplete. That was his first drop of the season.
This year, Boyd was often on fans’ chopping blocks after dropping a touchdown in a tight game against the Houston Texans. Fans tend to forget the fact that he had a 64-yard catch-and-run to set up the offense three plays before. Then Bengals tied the game up thanks to that massive gainer. Had the defense not been routinely carved up by a rookie quarterback, the drop may not weigh on the minds of fans.
Plain and simple, Boyd is as sure-handed as they come. Heading into the year, Boyd led the league with a meager 1.7% drop rate since the 2020 season. As he waits to suit up for Week 18, that number has “jumped” to 2.9%. Amon-Ra St. Brown is just behind him with 3.1% thanks to eight drops this year (and not being in the league in 2020).
Boyd has been an automatic first-down on third-down attempts for years. This year, Tyler Boyd has 18 receptions for 189 yards for 10 first downs. For good measure, he hauled in two passes for 32 yards and two first downs on fourth down.
Burrow needs his third-down security blanket back.
He’s Earned It
The Bengals have a handful of “franchise guys” on the current roster. Burrow is a guy Cincinnati will work for years to make sure he spends the entirety of his career in town. A guy like D.J. Reader could also earn a third contract despite the injury history and despite the team’s unwillingness to spend on 30+-year-old players.
Regardless of the Higgins decision, Boyd has earned the right to sign a third contract. Again, if Higgins is gone via free agency or a tag-and-trade scenario, Boyd has to return.
Put it this way. In 2019 as the 1-13 Bengals were taking on the 3-11 Miami Dolphins in what was considered the “Tank for Tua Bowl”, players could have taken the day off. It’s well-documented that Andy Dalton wasn’t in on the tank and neither was Boyd.
With 0:23 to go on second-and-ten, Dalton hit Boyd on a 29-yard pass. Boyd was injured on the play but instead of staying down and costing the Bengals a 10-second run-off (they were out of timeouts), he literally crawled to line up and let Dalton spike the ball. He was helped off and Dalton found Tyler Eifert for the game-tying touchdown with no time remaining.
Play of the game @boutdat_23 pic.twitter.com/mWZPCtR8VW
— Matt (@CoachMinich) December 23, 2019
Boyd could have given up on the play. The game was, in essence, pointless, as the Bengals went on to lose and lock up the first-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. His effort was in vain and he got injured for no reason. But he still fought and led by example.
There is a very, very high likelihood that the Week 18 game will be his final in Cincinnati. And the team that signs him, if it’s not the Bengals, will be getting a great slot receiver and a better leader.
However, Cincinnati should do what it can to make sure Tyler Boyd is a Bengal for the next few years.
Main Image: Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
