After the Cincinnati Bengals’ final preseason game heading into the 2022 season, wide receiver Trenton Irwin could read the writing on the wall.
Even though he had 93 receiving yards in that game, he knew it likely wasn’t enough to lock down a roster spot. The Bengals also had two undrafted free agent rookies, Kwamie Lassiter II and Kendric Pryor, who outplayed Irwin during training camp and looked poised to claim spots on the Bengals’ practice squad.
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“I didn’t know if I was going elsewhere or if I’d be here,” Irwin who is now a key part of the Bengals’ rotation at wide receiver, said on Thursday. “I knew I’d rather be here. I liked the coaches and the way they do everything. And I felt like I had a lot more to prove.”
At the end of the preseason, the Bengals waived Pryor and Lassiter II and planned to add them both to the practice squad. The Bengals faced a decision about whether to carry Irwin as a third practice squad receiver, which they’ve rarely done, or to move on from a receiver who had been in the system since 2019.
When the Jacksonville Jaguars claimed Pryor, the Bengals had an extra spot on the practice squad. Irwin signed with the Bengals, and made his season debut as a practice squad call up on Monday night against the Cleveland Browns.
During the competitive part of the game, Irwin played more snaps than wide receivers Mike Thomas and Trent Taylor, who have been on the 53-man roster all season. Thomas, Taylor and Irwin, splitting time as the No. 3 receiver in the offense next to Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, totaled just one catch for 5 yards during the competitive part of the game.
In the offseason, the Bengals didn’t add a single new wide receiver even though they needed depth at that position. They brought back Thomas, Taylor, Irwin and Stanley Morgan Jr., who combined for 11 catches during the regular season last year.
The Bengals didn’t add a fourth wide receiver who could have become a speed threat in the offense. When they traded up in the fifth round to draft backup safety Tycen Anderson, the Bengals gave up a draft pick that could have been used on a developmental receiver. They didn’t sign a veteran who could have benefited from a change of scenery in a new scheme.
Bengals special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said during the offseason the Bengals were looking for a punt returner who can “put the fear of God” into the opposing team. Those players are typically backup slot receivers, but the Bengals didn’t add an upgrade over Taylor.
The Bengals rolled the dice on backups for Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd
Instead, the Bengals’ front office decided to roll with the players they had in 2021 as the backups to Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins and Boyd. Due to Chase’s hip injury, those backups now need to combine to fill nearly every snap of the game.
“(Thomas, Taylor, Morgan Jr. and Irwin) understand the role they play,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “(Joe) Burrow has got a lot of trust in all those guys and how we utilize them. They’ve embraced their roles on special teams. If you’re not a starter, you better embrace that role. That’s what you’re always looking for at that fourth, fifth, sixth role.”
Taylor stressed the importance of continuity in the backup receivers who the Bengals entered the season with. Irwin and Morgan Jr. have been with the Bengals since 2019. Thomas joined the team in 2020, and Taylor had coached him with the Los Angeles Rams. Trent Taylor signed with the Bengals in 2021, but he previously played in a similar scheme in San Francisco.
The Bengals prioritized backup receivers who had already accumulated 100s of reps with Burrow. Taylor likes to be able to move receivers around the field, and he likes receivers who can fill every role in the offense. And Burrow values receivers who always run the right route and end up where they’re supposed to be.That made it less of a priority for the Bengals to sign, draft or trade for a fourth wide receiver. They entered the 2022 season with four backup wide receivers who had experience in the Bengals' system.
“Joe always has gone to the open guy based on the scheme,” Taylor said. “There have been times he has worked with all of those guys. We have a lot of confidence in those other guys vs. man coverage as well. I feel really good about how we lay things out with them.”
Thomas entered the season as the Bengals’ No. 4 receiver, and he had the biggest role among the backups before Chase’s injury. Taylor values Thomas’ ability to be a slot receiver as well as an outside receiver, and Thomas’ experience in the scheme means he’s almost always in the right position.
But as a receiver, Thomas lacks a standout trait. After Thomas had a drop on a potential first down in Cleveland, Irwin took the bulk of his snaps.
“Mike has played a lot of football for us, has come up with some big plays in some big games,” Burrow said. “Mike's going to continue to make plays.”
Irwin has bounced between the Bengals’ practice squad and the active roster since 2019, and he has five career catches. His teammates have taken note of Irwin’s sudden route running ability, but he isn’t a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands, and he doesn't have the speed to beat a defense over the top.
“Trenton maybe hasn't got a lot of game reps but everybody trusts what he does,” Burrow said. “You see it in practice, he's reliable, he understands each route and understands where we expect him to be.”
How Trent Taylor fits in Cincinnati's offense
Trent Taylor is a true slot receiver who has thrived in the last two preseasons. He has great hands, is a smart route runner over the middle and has shown his athleticism as a punt returner and on jet sweeps.
Taylor spent the entire 2021 season on the Bengals practice squad, but he stepped up in the postseason and made a crucial two-point conversion catch in the AFC Championship Game.
Taylor said that as soon as the Bengals offered him a deal during the offseason, he took it. He wasn’t guaranteed a roster spot, but Taylor has established himself as Boyd’s backup and as a punt returner.
“It’s a great feeling having an established role on a team,” Trent Taylor said. “It can be taken from you any week. Every week you’ve got to prove it.”
The Bengals' options will expand when Morgan Jr. returns from a hamstring injury. When he returns, he’ll have the opportunity to contribute as an outside receiver who’s one of the best run blockers on the team.
It’s not a group of players with many NFL starts, but the Bengals are rolling with the backup receivers they have because of their experience in the offense.
“The benefit we have is these guys have all been here,” Zac Taylor said. “They’ve been in this system. We really feel good about their knowledge of what we’re asking them to do, putting them in positions to be successful. Burrow has confidence in them.”
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