What would you think about the Bengals adding another wide receiver to an already crowded room?
The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the very few teams with two bona fide true No. 1 wide receivers in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
They have Trenton Irwin, who always happens to find himself in the right place at the right time.
They have Andrei Iosivas, who caught four touchdowns in his rookie year, and Charlie Jones, two talented second-year wide receivers.
Then, in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bengals selected Jermaine Burton, a talented wide receiver out of Alabama that many believe could have been taken a round or two earlier had it not been for off-field issues.
It’s safe to say that even though the Bengals lost Tyler Boyd to the Titans in free agency, their wide receiver room is still one of the best in the NFL.
The Athletic’s Randy Mueller still thinks it’s possible the Bengals could make an addition to their wide receiver room to help replace Boyd’s slot production by signing free agent Hunter Renfrow.
“Renfrow is still a quality option in the slot, having shown very good quickness to separate from tight coverage and a feel for settling into zones and being available when QBs are forced to extend plays,” he wrote. “He is only two seasons removed from a 103-catch season. I thought he might be a trade-deadline target last year, but the upheaval and timing of the front office/coaching changes with the Raiders scuttled any thought of moving him.
“The Bengals lost Tyler Boyd, who was a fixture in the slot the past few years, and there aren’t other options with previous production like Renfrow. He could be a plug-and-play option.”
The Bengals are losing valuable experience in the slot, but it doesn’t hurt their offense. I actually believe it will open the Bengals’ offense up. While Boyd still has the ability to contribute in a meaningful way as a slot receiver, he doesn’t have the ability to play on the outside at this point in his career.
Because of this, the Bengals were forced to keep Chase and Higgins on the outside. Now, by replacing their WR3 with Boyd, with not only one but two or three talented players who can play on the outside, the Bengals can move their most deadly weapon, Chase, to any position on the field.
While it’s true the Bengals lost experience at the slot position, they have possibly opened up whole new chapters of their playbook. Adding Renfrow is a nice thought if that thought is replacing Boyd.
The Bengals don’t need to replace Boyd, though. Instead they should be focusing on how they can get one of the most explosive players in the NFL the ball in space as often as possible.
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