Bengals: 3 receivers earning themselves a role in 2021
Cincinnati Bengals receivers – No. 1: Auden Tate
Auden Tate wasn’t really battling for his roster spot in training camp but he makes this list anyway because everyone knows he’ll be the WR4 when the season begins. Tate isn’t a stranger to putting on a show at training camp and despite a slower start this year, he’s right back to the same ol’ Tate recently.
Albert Breer had a few observations about the Bengals after one of their practices this week and said that Tate is “an interesting darkhorse.”
5) Auden Tate's an interesting darkhorse. Hard to crack a receiver group with Boyd, Chase, Higgins, but he's making it tough on the coaches—and is a giant in a receiver group that brings a lot of size to the table to begin with.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) August 4, 2021
Breer is right in that it’s going to be hard for Tate to get as many targets as he would have before Ja’Marr Chase joined the group but now he’s squarely the WR4 and that’s not a bad spot to be in. The Bengals didn’t need to take Chase because they had Tate already on the roster but even with a demotion, Tate still can prove that he’s a good receiver and potentially land a nice deal in free agency next year.
Tate’s role before training camp probably hasn’t changed much to what it is now but now it’s almost a certainty that he’ll be the fourth wideout on the depth chart.
Boyd, Chase, and Higgins will be the stars but it’ll be up to guys like Tate and the other two guys listed here to step up and bail the offense out on some big plays every now and then.
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Fortunately, Tate, Taylor, and Irwin have all carved out roles for themselves and could make the final roster as a result.