The Cincinnati Bengals were one of the biggest surprises of Week 1. They went on the road to face their AFC North rivals, the Cleveland Browns and had a very disappointing performance. The Bengals were beaten handily, 24-3.
Cincinnati’s offense was all out of sorts, something that hasn’t happened often in the Joe Burrow era. But, after agreeing to a record-setting contract extension last week, he had the worst game of his career.
Burrow mustered a career-low 82 passing yards, completing 45.2 percent of his passes. The weather certainly played a factor as it was rainy and windy throughout the afternoon. His lack of reps this offseason because of a calf injury could have played a part also.
No one is going to get worried about the Bengals after one game. There are 17 more weeks for them to get on track and other contenders, such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, also had poor performances.
While the Bengals are focused on chasing a Super Bowl this season, there are some long-term concerns that they need to figure out. Namely, the future of their wide receiver group. Tee Higgins didn’t receive a contract extension and 2023 is very likely the last season Tyler Boyd will play in Cincinnati.
As a result, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has named Boyd on his NFL trade block big board early in the season. Knox believes that the Bengals’ slot receiver would be a good trade target for the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.
“The New England Patriots would be a logical landing spot, as they lack receiver depth and are looking to get Mac Jones back to Pro Bowl form. The Carolina Panthers could also use a savvy veteran like Boyd as they begin building around No. 1 overall pick and rookie quarterback Bryce Young.
Carolina already added a few former Bengals this offseason in Andy Dalton, Hayden Hurst and Vonn Bell.”
The Patriots wide receiver group was reshuffled this offseason with JuJu Smith-Schuster and rookies Kayshon Boutte and Demario Douglas being added. Adding Boyd to the mix would certainly be an upgrade, but he plays mostly out of the slot, like Smith-Schuster.
The Panthers would benefit from adding another veteran to the mix to help the development of Bryce Young. Boyd would be a much more impactful addition than Adam Thielen and at 28 years old, could be a long-term piece alongside Terrace Marshall Jr. and rookie Jonathan Mingo.
The Bengals aren’t going to give Boyd away for free. After all, they need all hands on deck to contend. But, if a team presented them with a strong enough offer, they would think long and hard about accepting.
