Free-agent Curtis Samuel would bring exactly what the Bengals need

The Cincinnati Bengals have been trying to acquire a speed demon wide receiver since 2017. Their efforts started when they drafted the 40-yard dash record holder, John Ross. Cincinnati invested a significant resource when they took the Washington product in the first round with their ninth pick.

Unfortunately for both the Bengals and Ross, he hasn’t been able to stay on the field due to injury. When he has been on the field, he has shown some flash but does have drop issues. After the 2020 season, the Bengals seem ready to turn the page, leaving a need for speed in Taylor’s offense.

Curtis Samuel brings the speed that the Bengals have been missing

Cincinnati has a lot of big-bodied receivers with the likes of Tee Higgins, Auden Tate, and A.J. Green, if he returns in 2021. The club also has a slot route running specialist in Tyler Boyd.

While this combination of attributes is certainly desirable, they could still use a guy who has the ability to take the top off of the opposing defenses with burner speed. Curtis Samuel is the perfect guy to fit that role.

Samuel, a former Ohio State Buckeye, was drafted in the second round by the Carolina Panthers in 2017. He has always been a player known for his speed. After all, at the combine, Samuel ran a 4.31  40-yard-dash time, the third-fastest in the combine, just behind new record holder John Ross, and the second-fastest, Jalen Myrick.

Samuel has improved every single year he’s been in the NFL

In Samuel’s rookie year he finished the season with only 115 total receiving yards. Since then, he’s made tremendous strides. This past season, he finished with career-high marks in receiving yards (851) and receptions (77).

What makes his most recent campaign so impressive is that just one year prior in 2019, he had 55 receptions on 105 targets, but in 2020 he was targeted eight times less and managed to finish with 23 more receptions.

Along with Samuel’s great receiving ability, he is also versatile, capable of playing running back. Last year for the Carolina Panthers he had a career-high in almost every rushing category, generating 200 yards and two touchdowns on 41 attempts.

Samuel’s rushing efforts put him second among all NFL receivers in 2020, just behind Cordarrelle Patterson, who had 232 rushing yards. It would be fun to discover what Zac Taylor could draw up with Samuel’s unique rushing abilities.

It would be especially interesting to see what the Bengals could do with the end-around plays that have become a staple of Taylor’s offense. Up to this point, Cincinnati has opted to utilize the not-so-speedy Alex Erickson, which hasn’t usually been successful. It’s all but a guarantee the offense would run such a play more often and find more success with Samuel getting the ball.

Simply put, Samuel is a perfect fit in the Bengals’ receiving core. He would force opposing team’s safeties to always help toward his side due to his unreal speed, giving Tate, Higgins, and Boyd better chances of getting open.

In addition, he would open up Taylor’s playbook by allowing him to line up Samuel in the backfield. As a run-pass threat, he could mitigate the pass rush pressure Joe Burrow saw so often a year ago.

Slated to have plenty of money in cap space, Cincinnati’s front office should attempt to target Samuel on the open market.