The Cincinnati Bengals have had a strong offseason full of additions to the defensive side of the ball. It was necessary to overhaul and freshen up that unit, which has underachieved for years and been a main reason the Bengals have missed the playoffs for three seasons running.
But massive expenditures there, along with lots of costs committed to their biggest superstars, limited how much Cincinnati could address certain other lingering weaknesses. One of their more underrated roster issues was left almost unattended.
Unease about the Bengals' group of wide receivers behind their two stud headliners is continuing to grow, and is broken down at length in a new, wide-spanning ESPN piece.
Wide receiver depth, not linebacker, viewed as most serious liability for Bengals in 2026
ESPN's Aaron Schatz went through all 32 teams' biggest individual roster holes, and landed on wide receiver depth as Cincinnati's glaring issue:
"Obviously, the Bengals are in serious trouble if Ja'Marr Chase or Tee Higgins goes down, but frankly they aren't really in a great position if they lose slot receiver Andrei Iosivas either. Right now, the top outside backup is fourth-round rookie Colbie Young. The top slot backup is Charlie Jones, who has caught just one regular-season pass over the past two years. There are a number of veteran receivers still on the market; Deebo Samuel might be a little costly for a fourth receiver, but the unrelated Curtis Samuel might be a good choice."
Count me out on either of the Samuels cats. Deebo is washed and looked like he had a James Harden-esque gut at Commanders camp last year. Washington couldn't move off him fast enough. No thanks.
Curtis Samuel would be a cool psudo-homecoming storyline as an ex-Ohio State Buckeye. However, he's never produced much in the NFL no matter where he's played. Why would that change now?
Come on, Aaron Schatz. I know you're trying to cover the whole league here, but do better to come up with some viable solutions! This is Spread Too Thin shades of Dane Brugler's Bengals mock drafts.
Yes, it seems foolish on the surface to be overly critical of the Bengals' receiving corps. They have the best wide receiver duo in the sport in Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Or they're at least in the conversation amongst the elite if you don't agree with that reasonable take.
But the depth behind Chase and Higgins is indeed suspect. Andrei Iosivas wasn't beyond reproach enough as the WR3 for Cincinnati to pass up drafting flawed Georgia wideout Colbie Young in the fourth round this year.
Young can't be counted on to be a real contributor as a rookie. He managed only 507 yards on 37 receptions in two years in Athens. How is he about to jump into the NFL and suddenly ball out?
This is why I was stumping for DeAndre Hopkins as the WR3 mere days ago, after he came out and professed a desire to play alongside Joe Burrow.
Don't get me wrong: Burrow can get by playing with anyone. He'll elevate Young or any other less-proven pass-catcher who's thrust into duty. Iosivas should be driven to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 season. And I'd still much rather the Bengals target an upgrade at linebacker over spending substantial resources on the wide receiver position.
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