The Cincinnati Bengals lost in blowout fashion to the Cleveland Browns in Week 9, and one player invisible all game was wide receiver Tyler Boyd.
Boyd had received criticism from the media lately about his poor form — specifically, his decrease in target share and production overall.
Whereas his teammates Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have been carrying Cincinnati’s passing offense, Boyd somehow got left behind, and it showed in Sunday’s game against the Browns.
Boyd caught just one of two targets for 11 yards despite playing in 79 percent of offensive snaps.
Where has Boyd been this stretch of the season?
Coach Zac Taylor defended the veteran wideout and told reporters Boyd’s lackluster performances may have more to do with coaching issues than anything else.
Zac Taylor on limited targets for Tyler Boyd: “TB Is a big part of what we do, and it would be a mistake on my part to not have him more involved."
— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) November 7, 2021
Zac Taylor defends Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tyler Boyd despite recent poor form
It did take five consecutive weeks of Boyd underperforming for Taylor to finally address the wideout’s struggles, so it’s not like Taylor’s exactly on top of his team right now.
5 straight weeks and we’re finally realizing this is an issue? pic.twitter.com/t52xyjGp8m
— Mark Dunn (@_DunnDeal) November 7, 2021
Since Week 1, Boyd has played in 75 percent of offensive snaps, but he hasn’t had a truly dominant showing all season.
Boyd’s best game came in Week 4 against the Jacksonville Jaguars when he recorded nine catches for 118 yards.
He also surpasses Higgins for total receptions this season: Boyd has 38 catches compared to Higgins’ 35, but Higgins has the slight edge in receiving yardage and Higgins has played two fewer games.
Taylor’s vague statement that he needs to get Boyd “more involved” in the Bengals’ offensive passing schemes doesn’t propose any concrete plans for the future. Taylor has finally addressed the issue, but he’s not willing to sever the chemistry between Burrow and Chase (or Higgins) either.
Taylor is right about one thing: though Boyd is now essentially the WR3 in the lineup, he remains an important part of Cincinnati’s offensive trio for the rest of the season. After Chase dropped a few crucial balls in the last two weeks, Boyd needs to find a way to reassert himself in this offense, with or without Taylor’s help.