Coley Harvey/ESPN

CINCINNATI -- Preseason openers are all about two things: 1) fulfilling football fans' insatiable appetites by finally bringing back games; and 2) giving rookies and other newcomers their first chance to prove why they belong on their respective rosters.


With football's return to Paul Brown Stadium on Friday night, Bengals fans (and fantasy owners) will want to pay close attention to recent second-round draft pick Tyler Boyd. Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis has been keenly observing the former Pitt standout since the receiver arrived in May. Boyd's play has Lewis already confidently saying that he came to Cincinnati even better than advertised.


"Tyler's exceeded my expectations of things," Lewis said a day before this preseason opener with the Minnesota Vikings. "He's really entered training camp and come back and worked and done the things we expected him to do and be able to do. He's taken it and he's grasped it and ran with it."


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Hope Boyd continues to exceed everyones expectations, he has mine as well, i already knew he had
great hands but him picking up all these NFL routes so fast and getting good chemistry with Dalton
already has been much faster than i think most expected.

Rookie WR's don't usually hit the ground running this quick besides AJ Green or someone like that.

Boyd was an excellent pick in the 2nd round. Could of went much higher but his speed was a question
mark is all. The dude just has great hands and is very versatile, we won't miss Sanu i am sure.

It is MLJ that i don't know we replaced. Lafell is who we need to step up as well to help us not miss a
beat. The Eifert news this morning is encouraging as is the way Uzi has been playing, hope to keep
seeing and hearing improvement on both sides of the ball.

Well, Marvin Jones has almost no chance of making the playoffs in Detroit, much less the Superbowl.

(08-12-2016, 03:22 PM)bengalsnj Wrote: Well, Marvin Jones has almost no chance of making the playoffs in Detroit, much less the Superbowl.

Yeah, i thought it was a mistake for us to offer him that much honestly.

I know i wouldn't turn down that dough and a chance at a SB. Surprised MLJ did not think more in terms of a ring
than proving his individual talents as a #1. Could come back to bite him in multiple ways. He won't have AJ Green
taking pressure off of him in Detroit, if he has a less than stellar year and the Lions win less than 7 games...

I would always take into account how good the team is i am going to if i was a player...

But Freeney decided to take more dough to go to Atlanta for goodness sake. Maybe they know more than we do. :jk:

I have loved the Boyd pick since Day 2 of the draft! I watched a number of Pitt games and he always stood out as THE best player on Pitt's team, and usually the best player on the entire field. Also have to take into account that Lewis is from the same general area as Boyd, so you know deep down he likes him a little extra because of that. And it's not like Marvin is going to say anything BAD about a guy drafted and not even played in a single real game-type snap. So not sure this little soundbite means all that much. But I have read from about anyone that has seen Boyd practicing that he is for real, so I'm inclined to go with the consistent hype and believe he will be a legit player. And even go so far as to say what I said in another thread about him already: he has a real shot, IMO, at making a run for the AFC offensive ROY award. I really do think he'll be in that conversation by the end of this season (and maybe even Superbowl MVP consideration? )

I'm cautiously optimistic. A lot of times rookies look really good in camp, but then don't do much when thrown into live game action. I'm really hoping he turns out to be the real deal for us and becomes a staple of this offense for years to come.

Dennard was the best corner he has ever seen so.....

(08-12-2016, 04:38 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: Dennard was the best corner he has ever seen so.....

Dennard has looked great everytime he has been healthy to be fair...

I've been a huge fan of Boyd for awhile. He's quick and although he doesn't have elite speed, his route running and footwork is pretty great. Along with his hands.

I know hyping rookies happens a lot, but I seriously see him being the #2 WR outside with Green by year's end.

Boyd is gonna be the Rookie of the year

(08-12-2016, 04:38 PM)GreenCornBengal Wrote: Dennard was the best corner he has ever seen so.....

Best rookie corner.  Big difference.

Welp, he looked pretty damn good last night, with a spectacular over the shoulder grab, and Core didn't like too shabby either.  Jones and Sanu who?

Sand and Jones seemed like higher ceiling type guys, but Boyd seems more NFL ready.

Boyd had nice grab last night winning a one on one deep. He also needs to learn the play book better, he had to be directed to his spot to line up several time by others. He can be a good one, I think has more upside than Jones and hopefully by December is playing as well as Jones did for us in 2015.

Boyd had some nice plays and looked good, Core made some plays, and Erickson stole the show.

Green, LaFell, and Boyd we know for sure. But I could see Tate's roster spot in jeopardy, Core and or Erickson could shove him out. Or both

(08-13-2016, 11:29 AM)Luvnit2 Wrote: Boyd had  nice grab last night winning a one on one deep. He also needs to learn the play book better, he had to be directed to his spot to line up several time by others. He can be a good one, I think has more upside than Jones and hopefully by December is playing as well as Jones did for us in 2015.

I don't worry about that too much. Dalton still has to adjust AJ after the huddle more times than i'd care to see. 

After last night I'm even more excited about boyd. In fact, I'll throw Core and Erickson into this as well. I know it's just preseason and they're largely just playing backups but it was the little things. I think they all proved that the game isn't too big for them at this level. They ran solid routes, the timing was nice, and they didn't have the dropsies. That long pass that Boyd hauled in is one of the more difficult passes there is for a WR to catch. On top of the level of difficulty there is to catch that, he did it with a defender right on him, using great concentration. That shows me he is capable of those types of plays.

With Erickson of course the punt return was incredible and it's something we have been wanting a punt returner to do here for a long time, so that was great to see. But what also didn't go unnoticed by me was a simple slant route that he caught for about 4 yards. He hauled it in on third and three with contact and a defender draped all over him. Those are the things he has to do to make this team and in my opinion he has staked his claim on one of those WR spots, but he's gotta keep it up.

With core I liked that he seems reliable, he had one catch where he got a little YAC and seemed hard to bring down. And like the others he was sure-handed.

We need to see more because I know 1 preseason game a good NFL receiver does not make, but I am certainly encouraged but what I saw out of the youngsters last night.

(08-12-2016, 04:21 PM)Bengal Dude Wrote: I'm cautiously optimistic. A lot of times rookies look really good in camp, but then don't do much when thrown into live game action. I'm really hoping he turns out to be the real deal for us and becomes a staple of this offense for years to come.

That is always a legitimate concern for a rookie, especially a WR, but I think when you look at his experience at pitt and his production despite (really) bad QB play that it looks very promising.

Seeing him live in limited action, he reminds me a great deal of TJ Houshmanzadeh.  He has the smooth speed, and can change directions without gearing down.  Long arms, great hands...he is going to be a huge weapon in the slot.  

As Nate mentioned, though, it is the "X" receiver (Marvin Jones) that we don't know if we replaced.  I like what I see out of Core a great deal.  Honestly, if Lafell doesn't show great vertical speed, they may be rotating in Core more than the original plan.  Core reminds me of Chris Henry with his length and vertical speed.  He looks like he has even slimmed down from his original weight on draft day.  Not that he was ever heavy, but he is very lean now.  If he can take the top of the defense, and allow AJ, Boyd, and our corps of TEs/HBs to work underneath....well, the best the offense has ever looked (I would say under Marv, not EVER) IMHO was the 2005 team when they had Chad, TJ, and Henry.  

I'm glad Boyd is getting some snaps at "X", but I hope Lafell is out there next week and Boyd starts getting experience in the slot with Dalton.  

(08-13-2016, 12:59 PM)The Real Deal Wrote: After last night I'm even more excited about boyd. In fact, I'll throw Core and Erickson into this as well. I know it's just preseason and they're largely just playing backups but it was the little things. I think they all proved that the game isn't too big for them at this level. They ran solid routes, the timing was nice, and they didn't have the dropsies. That long pass that Boyd hauled in is one of the more difficult passes there is for a WR to catch. On top of the level of difficulty there is to catch that, he did it with a defender right on him, using great concentration. That shows me he is capable of those types of plays.

With Erickson of course the punt return was incredible and it's something we have been wanting a punt returner to do here for a long time, so that was great to see. But what also didn't go unnoticed by me was a simple slant route that he caught for about 4 yards. He hauled it in on third and three with contact and a defender draped all over him. Those are the things he has to do to make this team and in my opinion he has staked his claim on one of those WR spots, but he's gotta keep it up.

With core I liked that he seems reliable, he had one catch where he got a little YAC and seemed hard to bring down. And like the others he was sure-handed.

We need to see more because I know 1 preseason game a good NFL receiver does not make, but I am certainly encouraged but what I saw out of the youngsters last night.

I like Erickson a lot as well.  It makes you wonder if they won't keep an additional WR with one TE (Eifert?) possibly starting the season on the PUP.  More likely, they would put Luc on the roster as a true FB and have Hewitt play TE with Kroft and Uzomah.  

It will be interesting to see who makes the team behind AJ, Boyd, Lafell, and Core.  Tate has to be a favorite due to his return experience, but I would much rather see guys like Erickson and Alford get a shot.  Those two are competing for what is likely the same spot, however, backing up Boyd in the slot.  Maybe Alford will get snaps at "X"?  Whatever happens, it is a good problem to have.  

(08-14-2016, 10:24 AM)SHRacerX Wrote: I like Erickson a lot as well.  It makes you wonder if they won't keep an additional WR with one TE (Eifert?) possibly starting the season on the PUP.  More likely, they would put Luc on the roster as a true FB and have Hewitt play TE with Kroft and Uzomah.  

It will be interesting to see who makes the team behind AJ, Boyd, Lafell, and Core.  Tate has to be a favorite due to his return experience, but I would much rather see guys like Erickson and Alford get a shot.  Those two are competing for what is likely the same spot, however, backing up Boyd in the slot.  Maybe Alford will get snaps at "X"?  Whatever happens, it is a good problem to have.  

Man I'd be surprised to see Alford get much time at X, but I suppose it's possible they will just to see exactly what they have. Depending on the severity of his injury (reports of him leaving in a walking boot Friday night), that could, unfortunately for him, seal his fate. 

Honestly, if Tate shows up in the receiving game like he did on Friday, they could, much to a lot of fans chagrin, very well keep Tate AND Erickson. The way I see it, if Erickson continues what he is doing as they move him up the depth chart then it will make for a hard cut. But the same can be said for Tate, if he shows sure hands as a receiver and proves himself to be a contributor like he did Friday, that's a tough cut as well. Like you said, this isn't the worst problem to have.

One thing I think I thought I know right now is that kumerow is on the outside looking in, but that can change in an instant. It's a surprisingly compelling preseason for the bengals and their fans, as compelling as it can be that is.