Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd has gotten some flack for his decreased target share in the last few games.
We recently wrote about how Boyd was the most underperforming player in the Bengals’ WR room and needed to get more involved in Cincinnati’s passing offense.
Well, last week ahead of the Baltimore game, Boyd responded to those criticisms in the best way:
Tyler Boyd on getting fewer targets over the last few games: “We’ve got a lot of playmakers and everybody can’t be happy every game. I’ll continue to be a good teammate.”
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) October 21, 2021
While Cincinnati isn’t as inundated with passing targets as, say, Arizona, Boyd makes a fair point.
Expecting all three wideouts to maintain extremely high levels of production could be construed as unrealistic. Taking into account Joe Burrow’s chemistry with Ja’Marr Chase, it makes sense that Chase has received more targets than expected in 2021 while Boyd’s target share has slightly declined.
Currently, Chase leads the team with the most targets (51) and the most receiving yards (754), but Boyd comes in second with 45 targets and 329 yards.
Only in the last three weeks has Boyd experienced a decrease in targets, and one of those games was a blowout win against the Detroit Lions with the other being a shocking blowout win against the Ravens.
Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd wants to put his team first and his career second
Boyd’s insistence on “being a good teammate” displays his winning mentality more than anything, and an extremely unselfish one at that.
The sixth-year wideout has posted 1,000-yard seasons before, and he offers the most experience within this new and vastly improved Bengals wide receiver unit. Just like how Chase’s preseason drops were taken out of proportion, Boyd’s recent decrease in target share might similarly be no cause for concern.
Boyd is getting himself in the end zone (he has one lone touchdown, but still, it’s a score). He’s recording a career-best 71.7 percent catch completion rate and averaging a respectable 10.3 yards per catch.
If Boyd’s game has changed, it’s because the Bengals’ passing game has changed, and Boyd’s role as a receiver will be different in 2021 than in years prior.
For now, Boyd seems more than content taking a backseat and letting Chase and Higgins make the headlines.
It’s a very noble move that shows just how much Cincinnati has grown, as well as how much Boyd and others are willing to sacrifice to make it to the postseason.