Bengals UDFA Jaivon Heiligh could play a big role on offense

While the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t draft any wide receivers, they added several in undrafted free agency. Jaivon Heiligh is one of those UDFA wide receivers who could pack a punch for this team in 2022.

Heiligh went undrafted after a stellar career at Coastal Carolina but make no mistake — He’s someone that could end up playing a critical role in Cincinnati.

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report picked one exciting UDFA from each team and Heiligh was who he selected from the Bengals.

Sobleski offered this analysis:

"The two-time first-team All-Sun Belt selection left Coastal Carolina as the program’s all-time leading receiver. Although the Cincinnati Bengals’ wide receiver room is already loaded, Heiligh can’t be overlooked given his skill set and collegiate production."

Bengals could benefit from Jaivon Heiligh

Now, yes, it is worth mentioning that the stripes have arguably the best wide receiver trio in the league so Heiligh isn’t going to be a starter unless several of those guys miss games. What he can provide, however, is a nice depth piece, which is something the team didn’t have last year.

Behind the starting trio of Tyler Boyd, Ja’Marr Chase, and Tee Higgins, no one else really stepped up and made big plays. It was those three, Joe Mixon, or C.J. Uzomah getting all of the targets and action on offense.

Heiligh putting together a decent season for a reserve receiver could be beneficial for him down the road because both Boyd and Higgins have two more years remaining on their contracts. Higgins is going to be tough to keep considering how expensive top-tier receivers are these days so if Heiligh steps up and shows he can be a starter, that might solve that problem.

Heiligh had 1,128 yards and seven touchdowns through 13 games last year, proving that he can put up big numbers. Yes, he played in the Sun Belt, which isn’t known for its hard-hitting talent, but big numbers are impressive no matter where someone plays ball at.

This will be an important summer for Heiligh and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he ended up being a big part of the Cincinnati Bengals’ offense this year.