The Cincinnati Bengals are facing a huge turnover in the wide receiver room this offseason, even in the absence of
the rumored trade for superstar wide out Justin Jefferson. Since Tyler Boyd is set to go this summer via free agency
and wide receiver Tee Higgins demanded a trade earlier this week, as of yesterday, the only wide receiver I was
certain would be with the team next season was great pass catcher Ja’Marr Chase.
Trenton Irwin, a wide receiver, was re-signed by Cincinnati on Friday afternoon, demonstrating the team’s clear
intention to keep contract negotiations stable for the remainder of the summer. Irwin, a 2019 Stanford graduate who
went undrafted, has contributed significantly to the Cincinnati wide receiver corps as a depth player.
Irwin agreed to a one-year contract worth about $2 million to play for the Queen City team in 2024, even though it
might not go over the Cincinnati salary cap. The Bengals’ salary cap space is rapidly running out, so that will lower
the salary cap to $33 million for the 2024 campaign. Cincinnati wants to add an offensive lineman badly and plans to
sign a nose tackle in the next week or two before the NFL Draft, even though Irwin has been a mainstay on the roster
for the last five years.
Irwin has been invaluable to Cincinnati over the last few seasons, despite the fact that his deal may not appear
significant. Three reliable wide receivers are essential to Cincinnati’s offensive philosophy, and it hasn’t happened
often for Chase, Higgins, and Boyd to be healthy at the same time. Irwin has stepped in under difficult situations and
performed admirably, as seen in the game against the Arizona Cardinals this past season. In the crucial game, Irwin
recorded eight catches for sixty yards while Chase was sidelined due to an injury.
Irwin has managed 40 catches for 547 receiving yards and five touchdown grabs over the last two seasons. Despite
his lackluster performance, this wide receiver corps has been able to rely on him as a great teammate to keep things
running smoothly even when the starting lineup isn’t feeling well. This was an important addition, particularly if
Higgins follows through on his recent promise to press for a trade in the coming weeks. Irwin has been a reliable
player for Cincinnati, and his return gives an offensive staff that will already be losing a lot of players this free agency
window some peace of mind.
