To say the Cincinnati Bengals have a catastrophe at wide receiver might be an understatement.
The Bengals lost A.J. Green to ligament tears in the first practice of training camp — an injury will reportedly hold him out between six and eight weeks, meaning he is expected to miss the season opener in Seattle.
John Ross has also been present but out, dealing with what the team is calling hamstring tightness. That means the current depth chart looks like this:
- Tyler Boyd
- Cody Core
- Alex Erickson
- Josh Malone
- Auden Tate
There are others on the depth chart for now, but the above guys are the ones who might have roster spots locked up going into the regular season.
And this wouldn’t be so bad, right? Boyd had a breakout year last season with Green and a starting quarterback on and off the field. Erickson is a reliable workhorse. Heading into his third season, Malone has upside. Tate, a 2018 seventh-round draft pick, is massive (6 feet 5) with interesting traits.
But why it’s bad: Those wideouts listed above had 114 catches last year — 76 went to Boyd. And maybe there is an outside chance one of those guys breaks out, sure, but Green and Ross are missing critical reps in a new offense installed by a new head coach. If and when they return, it’s disruptive. In addition to opening the season in Seattle, the Bengals play three of their first four on the road. It’s a recipe for disaster.
No matter who gets healthy and when, most didn’t see the Zac Taylor era in Cincinnati starting with Cody Core and Josh Malone taking WR1 snaps alongside Tyler Boyd.
Sprinkle in the offensive line woes and the outlook becomes even bleaker.
