4 impending free agents the Bengals should re-sign in 2024
- Reader might be inching toward 30 but the Bengals should keep him around
- Williams is a different player at RT
- Sample is a sneaky-good blocker
- Irwin is the next man up when a WR goes down
Trenton Irwin
If the front office decides to let both Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins walk this off-season (which seems more and more to be the most likely outcome), then keeping Irwin is a must. Trenton has been the guy for the receiving room when someone goes down, a depth piece who has proven himself time and time again to be reliable when one of the top guys has to miss a few games. He did it for a handful of games last season when Chase hurt his hip, and he's done it a couple more times this season for the two games Higgins has been hurt.
Between the Cardinals and Texans game, the two which Higgins missed, Irwin put up very solid numbers. 10 receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown. Not elite, but you don't expect a WR4 to put up solid numbers like these across two games, let alone be elite. And from what we've seen with him lined up on the other side of Chase, he makes for a pretty solid WR2 if it comes down to that for next season.
We've been very spoiled to have essentially two WR1s on one team lining up across from one another. Yes, he is a definite downgrade from Higgins, but all things considered, he's a solid option to have as your number-two guy. And, like Sample, his contract won't be a large sum, considering he is a WR4. The front office should have no issues re-signing him, so hopefully they do just that.
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