Cincinnati Bengals: Are any players deserving of Pro Bowl nod?
By Kenn Korb
Tyler Boyd
A Cincinnati wideout not named Green making the Pro Bowl? Sounds ridiculous on its face, but delve a little deeper and you’ll understand why Boyd isn’t as much of a long shot as most may believe.
This has been quite a breakout season for the third-year receiver. After a very up-and-down sophomore season, he’s made this year his best by every metric. With three games left, he’s already set career highs in targets, receptions, yards, touchdowns, and first downs.
By the end of the year, he’s almost certainly going to have the first 1,000 yard season for a Bengals receiver other than Green since the latter was drafted. If things work out as expected from here, he’ll have something like 89 catches, 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns.
That’s all well and good, but it probably leaves him a little short.
Michael Thomas is the dynamic playmaking engine for the passing game of the team most likely to get the NFC’s top seed. DeAndre Hopkins finally has a good quarterback, letting his skills shine through even more. Keenan Allen lacks top-end speed, but few (if any) are better with the nuances of route-running and opening up space in tight quarters.
Guys like Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham Jr., and T.Y. Hilton blow the top off the opposition each snap. Julio Jones, Adam Thielen, Davante Adams are the stalwart No. 1 guys for NFC offenses which have struggled to consistently function on a high level. We’re already past the eight-man limit, and that’s before even considering Amari Cooper, Mike Evans, or anyone from Pittsburgh or the Rams.
Boyd has had a commendable year, but he’s not quite on the level of those guys.