"Can you have three 1,000-yard receivers?"
That was the first question fired Friday at Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd during media availability on the third day of training camp.
A smile emerged on Boyd's face and he wasted no time answering, "Absolutely. We should have had that last year."
A number of factors – most notably injuries – derailed that last year.
This season, though, with a healthy Joe Burrow, the addition of his former college teammate Ja'Marr Chase, a talented first-round draft pick out of LSU, and a highly motivated Tee Higgins, the weapons are there to do it.
More:'I got 1K on my mirror right now': Bengals' Tee Higgins aiming for 1,000 yards in 2021
"I think with us three all out there on the field, it’s going to put so much stress on the defense because they don’t know what’s coming at them," said Boyd, who's coming off a season in which he caught 79 passes for 841 yards. "They can’t double us. They can’t game plan one guy. They can’t double two players. So it’s going to be kind of dangerous for defenses to cover us."
Higgins had 908 yards receiving on 67 catches last season as a rookie and Chase, in his last full season at LSU, had 1,780 yards on 84 catches with 20 touchdowns.
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Boyd said he believes the Bengals will have the best offense in the AFC North.
"I believe us three (Boyd, Higgins, Chase) will achieve a thousand yards," Boyd said. "Even if (defenses) blitz us heavy, there's going to be a guy open every single time. Chase, he's a route technician. Once he gets into his zone, knowing what to do, that's when he can bring out all his tools to get open like he's been doing in his career. The sky's the limit. I say this every year. I don't want to talk about it too much but I think this is going to be a year where the whole nation talks about this offense."
A bigger Jonah Williams
It's been difficult for the former first-round pick out of Alabama to get situated in the NFL.
Williams missed his entire rookie season with a shoulder injury. Then last year, in his sophomore season, Williams started 10 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 12.
Williams is starting his third season healthy and he added some size to his 6-foot-4 frame.
Head coach Zac Taylor opened training camp with news that Williams will be back in that starting left tackle spot.
When asked Friday if he's been hitting the weight room, Williams flexed for the cameras and said, "Yeah, I've put on some weight. I think it's good weight. I think that can help me in my game. The combination of being bigger, being stronger, and still maintaining the same quickness. Then if I can put those things together with good technique, I think I can be a pretty good player."
Williams weighed 305 pounds last season.
He said he's up to 315 this year. The decision to add some size was the product of a conversation Williams had with Bengals offensive line coach Frank Pollack.
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"He said you put on a couple of pounds, put on a little muscle and it gives you just a little bit bigger margin for error that you can cover because you have the mass to absorb more force," said Williams, who added that even with a little extra size, he still feels like his quickness is there.
Because of injuries, Williams' first two seasons have lacked consistency and the rhythm required to gain momentum year over year.
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If he can stay healthy, Williams will have a chance this season to squash any lingering doubts about the left tackle spot.
"This is definitely the most comfortable I've felt coming into a year, just having played and feel what it's like out there," he said.
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