The Cincinnati Bengals tried to keep the secret that was breakout wide receiver and return man Dohnte Meyers for as long as they could. Once the preseason hit, Meyers became officially undeniable, as he made the 53-man roster with ease.
Everyone knows the broad strokes of Meyers' story by now. The former DoorDash delivery guy who cut his teeth in the CFL after a college career spent in relative obscurity. The guy who drove from Atlanta to Cincinnati overnight just to throw with Joe Burrow. Built different indeed.
But now Week 1 is fast approaching, and there are no signs of Meyers slowing down or resting on any laurels.
Pitcher reveals how open the WR3 role truly is in Cincinnati
NBC 5's Charlie Clifford documented what Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher had to say about the No. 3 wide receiver position, which Andrei Iosivas still owns:
"We have a multitude of guys that will factor into that 'quote unquote' third receiving role. Dre (Iosivas) certainly being one of them. We'll see how it all plays out, but we feel good about our skill guys."
So this obviously means Dohnte Meyers is in the mix to get a lot of action. He's the most pure slot receiver on the roster, which only increases his chances of getting on the field.
Tight end Mike Gesicki is a de facto slot receiver, though, and Iosivas has always seemed better suited to play on the perimeter. The problem is, snaps are hard to come by on the boundary with Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the roster.
Oh, and rookie fourth-rounder Colbie Young is a 6'5" burner with some pretty sick ball skills. Iosivas has struggled in contested catch situations of late.
Meyers just seems to catch everything thrown his way in general. He also looks like the crispest route-runner amongst all the wideouts mentioned not named Chase or Higgins. It's really exciting to see Pitcher open up the WR3 spot to interpretation above all else. It means the Meyers preseason hype wasn't a mirage.
Meyers' impact will be felt beyond the Bengals' passing attack
One of the big ripple effects of Dohnte Meyers making the 53-man roster was the waiving of incumbent return man Charlie Jones. He had three return TDs in as many years, yet couldn't make his mark on offense.
Hence why Meyers got the nod. He looked better as a wideout than Jones ever did. And why shouldn't we anticipate Meyers making a splash on special teams, similar to how Jones did?
On the Bengals' Week 1 depth chart, Meyers is listed as the No. 2 kickoff returner next to fellow receiver Ke'Shawn Williams, and he's the No. 1 punt returner.
Even if Andrei Iosivas out-snaps Meyers on offense, or if the Bengals' pseudo-12 personnel features a lot of Gesicki in the slot, we should still see the best story of Cincinnati's training camp put on a show in the season opener.
The Dohnte Meyers Experience is incoming, Who Dey Heads. Pitcher's words were subtle, but they're the clearest indication yet that we should see a whole lot of him in short order.
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