Bengals competition is heating up at wide receiver before Week 8

The Cincinnati Bengals have probably the greatest 1-2 punch at wide receiver in the NFL in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. What the rest of the depth chart looks like beyond them is, well, beyond anyone's comprehension entering Week 8.

Not that Joe Burrow or the passing attack have much to be concerned about against the 1-6 Tennessee Titans on Sunday at home. They just went on five straight touchdown drives against the Ravens in Baltimore. However, it's a classic trap game, and everyone needs to be on point.

That includes those who are in the running for the Bengals' WR3 position. It's not as clear-cut as you'd want such a key position to be around the midseason mark.

Dohnte Meyers' weakening grip on WR3 role is inviting a host of challengers

Training camp/preseason hero Dohnte Meyers is starting to resemble the Mitchell Tinsley arc a little bit from last year. Tinsley caught just eight of 24 targets in 2025 after dazzling in the run up to hte regular season. Meyers has started having the dropsies both on offense and on special teams as a return man.

Don't get me wrong. Meyers is still my preferred WR3 guy. He's way twitchier than any other contender for the role, not to mention a far superior return man.

But Andrei Iosivas was the WR3 until he landed on injured reserve. His four-game minimum on that list is now up, so he should be back in action any day now.

Then you have Tinsley, who was initially cut but signed back from the Texans practice squad and made three catches for 49 yards in Week 4 right from the jump. Despite his lackluster showing the prior season, Tinsley clearly has the trust of Burrow and the offensive staff.

Oh and then there's Colbie Young, the rookie fourth-round pick who has a massive catch radius and could easily enter the mix for more reps after returning to action in Week 7 from a knee injury.

Although tight end Mike Gesicki is more or less the de facto WR3 and has been a touchdown machien of late, the Bengals really need to solidify their receiver depth chart. We're getting way too deep into the season for this to be such a big question mark.

Back during the years of Super Bowl LVI and two straight AFC title game appearances, there was so much clarity in the wide receiving corps with Chase, Higgins, and Tyler Boyd as the lock No. 3. Sure could use some of that stability now.

Does that mean a trade at the deadline for another wideout? I highly doubt it, but stranger things have happened in the NFL. And if the Indianapolis Colts' fire sale continues, it occurs to me that slot specialist Josh Downs could be very much available. If not Jonathan Taylor, maybe Cincinnati springs for him!

That's a whole other can of worms. The easiest solution is in the building right now. I hope it's Meyers. He's such a great story. Week 8 could be make or break for him, though. Let's see how he handles it.

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