Tyler Boyd named Bengals’ most underappreciated player

When it comes to the Bengals, who do you think is the player that doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s been able to accomplish in the pros?

NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund took at look at each NFL team’s most underappreciated player, and for the Bengals, wide receiver Tyler Boyd was the pick.

“There weren’t many bright spots in the Bengals’ offense last season (Joe Mixon was one of the few), but it seems Boyd isn’t getting the respect he deserves. He ranked sixth in the NFL last season with 661 receiving yards from the slot, per Next Gen Stats. When you add in the context of Cincinnati’s extremely subpar offensive line and A.J. Green’s season-long absence, Boyd’s impact starts to come into focus. For rookie QB Joe Burrow, Boyd’s on- and off-ball impact will be a key in the passing game.”

I don’t think Boyd is underappreciated in the eyes of Bengals fans, especially after he was the team’s best passing threat last season while A.J. Green and John Ross battled injuries. It was the second-straight season in which Boyd topped 1,000 receiving yards. Back-to-back 1,000+ yard seasons is something only Green, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson have been able to accomplish in Cincinnati since 1997.

But in the national landscape, it’s easy to see why Boyd doesn’t get the respect he deserves, considering his breakout has come in a two-year stretch where the Bengals went 8-24 overall.

Hopefully, the addition of Joe Burrow, as well as the team having a full year of Zac Taylor’s offensive system, will be enough for the Bengals to win more while Boyd continues to put up big numbers and gain more national respect.