Iosivas, a sixth-round pick out of Princeton, had four catches for a team-high 50 yards receiving on 10 targets Friday in the preseason opener vs. the Packers and will continue to get opportunities to prove himself as training camp winds down next week.
“I’ve been making plays all camp, so I think they know who they can go to in the one-on-one situations or if they see a coverage that they know I’m the target — they’ll probably throw it to me most of the time,” Iosivas said. “Building that trust, building that chemistry every day in camp is what led to that.”
Iosivas has been an exciting player to watch because of his athleticism, particularly in some good one-on-one battles in practice with fellow rookie draft pick DJ Ivey at cornerback.
Cincinnati took a chance on Iosivas in the draft, selecting him out of the Ivy League as a raw, long-term project with potential for great upside. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Hawaiian posted a 4.43-second 40-yard dash time, a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-8 broad jump. He was the Ivy League MVP in track while serving as a captain in football and catching 66 passes for 943 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2022.
“That’s what I bring to the table as a player, I think, making these athletic plays and now during training camp just honing in on trying to become a pure receiver, learning from Ja’Marr and Tee, but that’s in my repertoire as well,” Iosivas said.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor said the opportunities Iosivas has been getting in one-on-one situations is a good sign the quarterbacks have faith in him as a receiver. He wasn’t surprised by the number of targets the rookie ended up with Friday, though he only caught four of the 10.
One pass was a 50-50 ball to the end zone, where Iosivas said he just needed to get better leverage to be able to make the catch. Taylor still saw it as a positive outing.
“I thought Andrei won some good, contested throws,” Taylor said. “One of them — the touchdown — was close. I thought he made a good play on it. Had some other good plays for us, really didn’t go down at first contact several times. So, there was a chance for some yards after the catch. So, I thought he showed some good things.”
Iosivas had the third-most snaps on offense Friday but is currently listed among the third-string receivers on the team’s depth chart ahead of the second preseason game at Atlanta. Kwamie Lassiter, who is competing as a return specialist as well, is ahead of him, but they are also competing with returning players Trent Taylor, Trenton Irwin and Stanley Morgan.
The Bengals only kept six wide receivers with their final roster cutdown last year to get to 53 players. Iosivas said it’s difficult not to think about where he stands.
“At night you’re thinking about all these different scenarios, but when you get onto the field, you’re not really thinking about all that stuff,” Iosivas said. “You’re thinking about your assignment and your play and how to make your play. When I’m not on the field, it’s a little hard for me not to think about that stuff, but on the field you just have to let your play speak for itself.”
Iosivas said he usually blocks out those thoughts off the field by staying focused on the playbook when he’s just sitting around with nothing else to do. It’s usually right before bed when he starts thinking about what he needs to do to make the team.
“But it’s good,” he said. “It makes me want to be better, and pressure makes diamonds so it only pushes me to be better.”
Practice notes: Wide receiver Tee Higgins was back to work Wednesday after colliding with safety Nick Scott and landing awkwardly at the end of Monday’s practice, but he was wearing a compression sleeve on his left leg, seemingly as a precaution. ... Running back Joe Mixon missed a second straight practice Wednesday because of his trial for an aggravated menacing charge related to an incident in January when he was alleged to have pulled out a handgun and threatened a woman in traffic. Final arguments are expected Thursday and a judge’s decision will follow. ... Running back Trayveon Williams didn’t practice Wednesday but was stretching with the team dressed in practice gear, but not full pads. Tanner Hudson (concussion), Yusuf Corker (hamstring) and Tarell Basham (leg) remain out of practice, and cornerback Sidney Jones IV and defensive end Myles Murphy were not practicing Wednesday.
About the Author