Trenton Irwin is the depth the Bengals need at wide receiver

The Cincinnati Bengals have had quite the wide receiver trio over the past two years but a lot of fans were hoping the team would add some depth in the offseason. Turns out, they've had that depth all along, we just didn't know it until recently.

Despite having a fairly healthy trio of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, Trenton Irwin has emerged as a reliable target for Joe Burrow and the Bengals' offense. He's played well enough that Burrow feels comfortable throwing the ball his way even in tricky situations.

Irwin went undrafted out of Stanford but landed with the Bengals back in 2019 (Zac Taylor's first year at the helm). He appeared in just two games combined in those first two seasons and made a strong enough impression in training camp last year that he earned a spot on the team. He went on to appear in seven games last year and had just two catches for 34 yards.

This year, Irwin has appeared in eight games and has four touchdowns on the year with two of those coming during Saturday's win over the Patriots. Burrow clearly feels comfortable throwing Irwin's way and that's impressive considering he's essentially the WR4 on the roster.

Trenton Irwin is proving his worth for the Bengals

While the Bengals might still look for wide receiver depth in the offseason, it doesn't feel like as big of a need as it once did. If Chase, Higgins, or Boyd have to miss time, Irwin is there to step in and catch some of those key throws from Burrow.

This is a fun story and it's hard not to root for Irwin. It's a lot of fun watching a guy who scratched and clawed his way to get to this point and I'm glad the Bengals are rewarding him with more playing time and more looks in the offense.