Cincinnati Bengals: What Trent Taylor can provide in 2021

The Cincinnati Bengals signed wide receiver Trent Taylor on Monday. Taylor was a fifth-round draft pick by the 49ers back in 2017 out of Louisiana Tech and was mostly used out of the slot and as a punt returner.

While in college, Taylor had two seasons in which he totaled over 1,000 yards receiving and also had 12 touchdowns his senior year. That kind of talent led the 49ers spending a fifth-rounder on him in 2017 where Taylor then went on to put up respectable numbers as a reserve.

Taylor had 79 receptions for 731 yards and three touchdowns during his three years with the 49ers. His best year was as a rookie in 2017 where he hauled in 43 receptions for 430 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor also had 281 return yards on his 30 attempted returns that year.

What can the Cincinnati Bengals expect from Trent Taylor?

As I mentioned above, Taylor can help the Bengals out in the slot and be an option to return punts on special teams. Brandon Wilson has been the primary return man for the Bengals but the team has made it a point to add potential return specialists this offseason.

The Bengals have a steady group of wide receivers heading into the year, highlighted by No. 5 overall pick Ja’Marr Chase along with Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins. Taylor isn’t going to be a star or anything wild like that, but he proved in San Francisco that he could put up respectable numbers despite not being a starter.

Cincinnati is doing what they can to arm Joe Burrow with as much talent as possible. While the signing of Taylor isn’t one that’s going to make fans jump up and down, he’s another weapon for Burrow in an already-growing offense. Let’s just hope the offensive line can hold up enough so that Burrow has a shot to throw to these guys.

Welcome to Cincinnati, Trent Taylor! Best of luck to you in a Bengals uniform.