The last thing Cincinanti Bengals wideout Tyler Boyd wants to do in 2019 is suffer a regression after a breakout season.
Boyd, after all, is a free agent after the 2019 season and in an ideal world would take another leap, putting him in the best possible position before potentially hitting the market.
But Sports Illustrated’s Andy Benoit brought up an interesting point: What if Boyd regresses?
“But his lack of top-end speed becomes more problematic in Taylor’s scheme; Boyd still prospers underneath, but Taylor’s condensed formationing puts the slot receiver in more downfield route combinations,” Benoit wrote.
Boyd had 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns a season ago over 14 games, especially stepping up when A.J. Green was out. He finished with a team-high 108 targets while no other receivers hit the 80-mark.
At its most basic level, Boyd is certainly a big regression candidate if the approach from Zac Taylor does a better job of spreading the ball out and the injury bug stays away. Theoretically, Taylor is going to involve the running backs plenty in the passing game again and make it a priority to get John Ross the ball more all over the field after he scored seven times primarily as an inside-the-20 threat last year.
From Boyd’s perspective, it might not matter if he regresses from a numerical standpoint if the Bengals go ahead and get an extension done before the season. He’s on their radar and said he won’t skip anything while seeking a new contract.
If Green and Boyd get extensions this offseason and the team is winning games, the box scores won’t be at the forefront of the conversation, anyway.
