10. WR Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals
It’s been a rough three-year stretch for the Cincinnati Bengals. A franchise that had reached the playoffs five consecutive years from 2011-15 has now posted three consecutive losing campaigns. After failing to reach a postseason game in seven total attempts over 16 seasons, head coach Marvin Lewis ran out of time in the Queen City.
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Now new sideline leader Zac Taylor inherits a club that owns a combined 19-28-1 record the past three seasons. The former quarterbacks’ coach of the Los Angeles Rams has some talent to work with, including quarterback Andy Dalton, prolific wide receiver A.J. Green and two-year running back Joe Mixon.
He also has the luxury of three-year wideout Tyler Boyd, who has steadily emerged as a productive performer for the team. The 2016 second-round pick comes off an impressive year in which he played with two different quarterbacks in Andy Dalton and Jeff Driskel.
Boyd played in a combined 26 games his first two seasons and made three starts. Over that span, he was targeted 113 times and caught 76 passes for 828 yards and three scores. That includes the game-winning touchdown in Baltimore on the final Sunday of 2017 that knocked the rival Baltimore Ravens out of the playoffs.
This past season, he saw 108 throws his way and Boyd hauled in 76 passes for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 contests. Of course, the absence of Green for seven games was a factor in Boyd seeing more passes his way. But the 24-year old pro definitely is one to watch.