The Bengals selected Purdue’s Charlie Jones in the fourth round and Princeton’s Andrei Iosivas in the sixth round, and although it’s too early to know how much of a role they could have in this offense, there are at least more options behind the big three of Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins and Boyd.
The tight end room, meanwhile, saw a lot of change this offseason with a starter moving on for a second straight year, and only Drew Sample returns from the initial 2022 roster. Irv Smith Jr. replaces Hayden Hurst but has something to prove after injuries impacted his time in Minnesota.
Regardless, quarterback Joe Burrow should have plenty of weapons to target as he tries to take the offense to another level in 2023.
Let’s take a look at the past performances of the Bengals’ wide receivers, plus the tight ends, and how they are expected to stack up in 2023 with help from some analysis and data from Pro Football Focus.
This is the second in a series of pieces breaking down each position group for the Bengals. Next up: Offensive line.
WIDE RECEIVERS ON THE ROSTER
Starters: Tyler Boyd, Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins
Reserves: Charlie Jones, Trenton Irwin, Trent Taylor, Andrei Iosivas, Stanley Morgan
Others in the mix: Malachi Carter, Mac Hippenhammer, Shedrick Jackson, Kwamie Lassiter
BOYD BY THE NUMBERS
2022 stats: 762 yards, 5 TDs on 58 catches and 82 targets (13.1 yards per reception)
PFF grades for 2022: Boyd ranked 42nd of 113 qualifying wide receivers with a 70.2 overall grade. He was 43rd of 113 wide receivers in receiving grade at 70.4.
PFF ranking for 2023: Boyd is not among the top 32 wide receivers ranked by PFF going into the 2023 season. He was 28th last year.
CHASE BY THE NUMBERS
2022 stats: 1,046 yards, 9 TDs on 87 catches and 134 targets (12.0 yards per reception)
PFF grades for 2022: Chase ranked 10th of 113 qualifying wide receivers with an overall grade of 83.9 and 11th of 113 wide receivers in receiving grade at 85.2.
PFF ranking for 2023: Chase is ranked fourth of 32 wide receivers ranked by PFF, up from sixth last year.
HIGGINS BY THE NUMBERS
2022 stats: 1,029 yards, 7 TDs on 74 catches and 109 targets (13.9 yards per catch)
PFF grades for 2022: Higgins ranked 20th of 113 qualifying wide receivers with an overall grade of 78.4 and 21st of 113 wide receivers in receiving grade at 78.8.
PFF ranking for 2023: Higgins is ranked 19th of 32 wide receivers ranked by PFF going into the 2023 season. He was 13th last year.
Credit: Joshua Bickel
Credit: Joshua Bickel
TIGHT ENDS ON THE ROSTER
Starter: Irv Smith Jr.
Reserves: Devin Asiasi, Drew Sample
Others in the mix: Nick Bowers, Tanner Hudson, Christian Trahan
SMITH BY THE NUMBERS
2022 stats (Minnesota): 182 yards, 2 TDs on 25 catches and 36 targets (7.3 yards per reception)
PFF grades for 2022: Smith ranked 54th of 73 qualifying tight ends with an overall grade of 56.4 and a ranked 38th of 49 tight ends with a receiving grade of 56.4.
PFF ranking for 2023: Smith is not among the 15 tight ends ranked by PFF going into the season.
FURTHER ANALYSIS
The Bengals are No. 1 in PFF’s receiving corps rankings for a second straight year. The Cincinnati receivers ranked third over the last two seasons in receiving grade (85.8), sixth in receiving touchdowns (70) and third in receiving yards (9,434), and PFF included players at other positions that factor into the passing game as well.
“Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd make the best receiver trio in the league, while Irv Smith Jr. and Joe Mixon give QB Joe Burrow pass-catching options beyond wide receiver,” PFF analyst Trevor Sikkema wrote.
Chase and Higgins were both ranked among the top 10 receivers against man coverage with Chase tied at No. 2 with Dallas’ Ceedee Lamb with a grade of 90.7 against man coverage and Higgins ranked seventh with a receiving grade of 87.3 against man coverage.
Of Chase, PFF’s Braxton Howard wrote: “Chase is such an incredible receiver in all facets of the game, he can take shorter routes the distance but also plays much larger than his listed size. Of course, he is playing with his guy Joe Burrow, and they obviously have one of the best rapports in the league.
“Chase truly is a big play waiting to happen, and manning him up makes it all the more dangerous – he hauled in 29 catches against man coverage for 444 yards and five touchdowns. He ranked in the top 10 in both of those categories, and he ranked top five with 197 yards after catch when facing man coverage. His 3.31 yards per route run was third among these 10 receivers listed; this young connection of Burrow to Chase is one we will continue to hear about for years to come.”
Of Higgins, Howard writes: “Higgins is another big-bodied receiver who doesn’t need to create separation to excel against man coverage. Higgins hauled in six of his 11 contested catch opportunities when playing man-to-man. Impressively, 19 of Higgins’ 22 receptions against man coverage went for a first down. Higgins is a nightmare to cover one-on-one because he can win easily over the top with his 6-foot-4 frame and 97th-percentile arm length. With his basketball background, it shows up on film with his ability to box out smaller defensive backs and attack the catch point.”
Add in the other weapons, and Burrow’s receivers should be on point again in 2023.
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