Don’t Sleep On Andrei Iosivas In the Tyler Boyd Role
Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals lost its longest-tenured player this offseason in Tyler Boyd, who signed a two-year deal to rejoin Brian Callahan with the Tennessee Titans. Boyd, who had been with the Bengals since 2016, specialized as a reliable slot receiver in short-yardage situations who could occasionally make the big play when called upon.
Now that he’s gone, they have to find a new receiver to fill Boyd’s role. The prime candidate is Andrei Iosivas, who saw increased usage in Cincinnati as the 2023 season went on. He is likely going to play an even bigger role now that the receiver corps no longer has Boyd.
Youll be seeing me i promise https://t.co/Vmr0DzSbCf
— Andrei Iosivas (@AndreiIosivas) May 20, 2024
Iosivas, was a sixth-round selection from Princeton, and is affectionately nicknamed “Yoshi.” He was not only a star receiver for the Tigers football program; he was a decorated college heptathlete. His track background and football accolades made him a player that many consider an incredible value for Round 6.
WR Andrei Iosivas had a 3rd round grade for us.
▫️99th percentile athlete
▫️2.71 Yards/Route Run (91st percentile)
▫️0.25 Missed Tackles Forced/Catch (99th percentile)
▫️4.5% Drop Rate (88th percentile)The kind of pick we’ve been begging for on Day 3.#RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/Df4yVqx9mI
— Gridiron Grading (@GridironGrading) April 29, 2023
“I realized I was a good athlete when I went to indoor nationals,” Iosivas said in an interview with Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson. “(I) faced guys from Arkansas, Georgia, and they were at the top of the world basically for their age. I was right there with them step-for-step competing for a title. That’s kind of when I realized I was a world-class athlete and I should never doubt myself athletically.”
Yoshi saw a limited role in the offense through Week 15, as he did not have more than one catch or two targets in any game up to that point. That’s not to say he was absent from the offense, though; he did have two key red zone touchdowns in consecutive games against Seattle and San Francisco, respectively.
First NFL TD on your birthday? Doesn't get better than that 🥳 @AndreiIosivas#SEAvsCIN | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/a3JzzNXMeN
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 15, 2023
The end of the season was when Iosivas truly broke out. Combining Weeks 16 and 18, he had 9 catches for 72 yards and two touchdowns, both of which came in Week 18 against Cleveland. The increased production is a promising sign, especially considering Jake Browning was under center for those games.
He ended his rookie campaign with 15 catches for 116 yards and four touchdowns, which were the third-most touchdown receptions on the team.
While Boyd was more than capable of breaking out a big play, he was primarily used in the middle of the field for shorter-to-moderate yardage gains. With Boyd’s departure, the new third wide receiver on the depth chart after Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins is presumed to be 2024 third-rounder Jermaine Burton. Burton spent his college career as an outside receiver and big-play threat who averaged 20.5 yards per catch in his final season at Alabama.
Assuming new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher uses Burton primarily for big plays, a window could open for Iosivas to take over the role as a safer, big-bodied receiving option who can occasionally break out for a big play. Iosivas also hopes to show off the kind of high Football IQ that was one of Boyd’s best traits.
“(Tyler is) super smart,” Iosivas said. “He knows how to diagnose every scheme. Every defensive coverage. He’ll say it before we even go out for the play.”
Even with Iosivas primarily being used in short-yardage situations in his rookie year, he is more than capable of moving the ball downfield. He averaged over 15 yards per catch in his career at Princeton and is working on improving his ability to make big plays in the NFL.
“Something I learned this year was to run a really good Go ball,” Iosivas said. “Troy (Walters, wide receiver coach) understands I’m big, tall, and fast. [He] really wants me to just make sure [that on] every Go ball, I have a high percentage of winning. Whether winning at the line or even if you don’t necessarily win at the line, you can always win down the field somehow with hand fighting.”
Iosivas’ positive strides, especially near the end of his rookie season, are a positive sign of things to come. With a healthy Joe Burrow at the helm in 2024, the production is almost guaranteed to be much more consistent. They’ve already spent a fair amount of time this offseason gaining a better rapport with each other.
SHIIIIIIIIITTTT. BURROW AND IOSIVAS…YESSSSSSSSSS, SIRSSSSSSS!!! 🧎♀️ pic.twitter.com/ykucRdYOkA
— Gem Burrow (@gemmabarzal) May 7, 2024
Yoshi knows he can make a jump in Year 2 and help be the reliable target that Boyd was in his nine seasons in Cincinnati. “I feel like I’m a pure football player on the path to becoming a good one.” If so, a rich Bengals wide receiver room will become richer.
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