It's been a lot of fun to see Trenton Irwin work his way from nobody to WR4 for the Cincinnati Bengals in recent years. Undrafted out of Stanford in 2019, Irwin originally signed with the Dolphins but ended up on Cincinnati's practice squad during his rookie season.
Despite only playing in two combined games during his first two seasons, Irwin turned heads with his stellar play in the 2021 preseason and eventually was promoted to the active roster. His stats didn't exactly pop off the page that year (two catches for 34 yards), but he stepped up in 2022, hauling in 15 catches for 231 yards and four touchdowns.
What should Bengals fans expect from Trenton Irwin in 2023?
Outside of the starting three of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, Irwin is the only receiver who appears to be a strong lock to make the team. It's likely that rookie Charlie Jones will also make the team but he doesn't have the benefit of playing well for the team the previous year as Irwin does.
Irwin will continue to be the WR4 in the offense and will be promoted into a starting role should any of the starting three miss time. He only started two games in 2022 but suited up for nine total games in the regular season. This year he should be active for every game.
As mentioned in the intro, Irwin has been a fun story to watch. He went from being an unknown player to now working his way into a higher-end depth piece. Bengals fans can expect to see Irwin serve as the WR4 for this season and be an under-the-radar target for Joe Burrow.