Cincinnati had an opening at slot receiver after Tyler Boyd left in free agency, and Iosivas, a 2023 sixth-round draft pick who had 15 catches as a rookie, was told during the offseason he might want to hone in on that position. So he spent most of his time studying the slot ahead of training camp, and it didn’t take long before he had clearly grabbed ahold of the role.
Iosivas played just 12 snaps this preseason — one less than quarterback Joe Burrow — as the offensive starters appeared in only one drive the first game. He didn’t play the final two games when others competing for roles and roster spots took the spotlight.
“I think I’ve worked hard to be here, and anything that comes my way is because of the work that I put in and if a big year is ahead of me, then so be it, and I’m just going to work to keep going,” Iosivas said.
The Bengals went into camp with three other position battles to determine starting jobs at cornerback, right tackle and punter. A pectoral muscle injury to first-round draft pick Amarius Mims meant Trent Brown is the right tackle for now, and Brad Robbins’ hip flexor issue landed him on injured reserve, so undrafted college free agent Ryan Rehkow is the punter for at least the first four games.
After switching from free safety this offseason, Dax Hill, the team’s 2022 first-round draft pick, won the starting cornerback job over 2023 second-round pick DJ Turner. Taylor said when Hill made the transition to outside corner he would have every opportunity to compete, but there might have been some doubts it would work out after Hill struggled at his more natural free safety position last year.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Iosivas is making the biggest jump, though. In a little over a year, he went from being considered “raw” when he was drafted out of Princeton University in the sixth round (206th overall) to not even needing preseason snaps to earn his job.
“I mean, obviously, like, I’m taking a lot more of the offensive load, which is nice,” Iosivas said. “I’m still locked in on special teams. I’m still in the meetings and stuff, but I’m definitely more involved in the game plan. I’ve been watching a lot of film, like on my off day (last Tuesday), I watched a bunch of different like Keenan Allen film, just even, like, run film, understanding gaps and gap skins and stuff, and where I can insert and things like that. So, I’m just trying to understand football more as a whole.”
Iosivas had the tools as a speedy track star with good height and athleticism, but coming out of the Ivy League, he was facing a giant leap in competition. He showed flashes last year when he grabbed four touchdowns among his 15 catches for 116 yards, but when the Bengals drafted Jermaine Burton in the third round, it seemed to be setting up for the former Alabama receiver to come in and take the open starting spot.
That wasn’t the case. While Burton has been slow to pick up the playbook and earn Burrow’s trust, Iosivas impressed from the start of camp.
“I’m still working on it for sure, but I’m definitely really comfortable in there, learning the nuances of it,” Iosivas said. “The first day, I was just kind of thrown out there. I understand the concepts, it’s just kind of now tempo-ing and feeling out the defense and stuff like that, but I don’t have any jitters going onto that field.”
Watching other big receivers that have played the slot, like Keenan Allen and Larry Fitzgerald, has helped. He asked the video staff for 100 clips of different players so he could study their routes.
Iosivas also said he watched a lot of Boyd film so he could see how he operated in the Bengals’ system. Now he believes he can take some pressure off Higgins and Chase, like Boyd did, and if defenders don’t respect his game, he will be open to make big plays.
“I think when you have speed in the inside, I think that I can really stretch the field vertically,” Iosivas said. “The safeties are gonna have to honor that, and that can open up a lot of stuff for Tee and Ja’Marr. Or if they don’t cover me, then it’s going to be a 90-yard touchdown. So, yeah, it’s a pick your poison there, for sure.”
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