While not as intense over the last few seasons, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals have had an intense rivalry dating back to a contentious 2005 season ending with the torn ACL tear of up-and-coming quarterback Carson Palmer.
After that game, a dramatic rivalry ensued that included the 2015 playoff game where Cincinnati blew the game on two egregious personal fouls at the end of regulation to surrender a game-tying field goal. To put it quite plainly, there is no love lost between these cities that are located a short four hour drive apart and Pittsburgh might just be swiping one of the Cincinnati’s greatest weapons.
Steelers Suffer Major Offensive Woes in 2023
While managing to sneak into the playoffs with a 9-8 record, it was no secret to anyone that the Pittsburgh offense was lacking for essentially the entire 2023 season. After struggling to improve on an adequate 2022 season, there is already chatter that Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett may not be the future in the Steel City.
After being benched two years ago, it is actually possible that quarterback Mason Rudolph will be battling for a starting spot next season after finishing the 2023 season strong. While anyone can speculate about who the starting quarterback will be, there is also a discussion happening about trying to get potential help for whoever does win the job.
While wide receivers Diontae Johnson and George Pickens have plenty of talent, Pittsburgh is certainly not one of the stronger wide receiver corps in the NFL. Particularly after the two wideouts, third receiver Allen Robinson struggled to make any impact at all as he only managed to pull in 34 receptions for 280 yards and not a single score.
Pickens was the only player on the team to pass the one-thousand yard mark but both Johnson and Pickens generated far more drama than any head coach would like over the course of the season. If the team wants to improve the passing game next season, improving the wide receiver room might be a smart way to do it.
Pittsburgh Could Swipe Top Talent from Rival Bengals
Now that we’ve established that Pittsburgh is particularly needy on the wings, lets take a look at their geographically close rival that happens to be stocked in that department. If you look through the depth chart for possible candidates to travel east into Pennsylvania, there will be an obvious option and his name is Tyler Boyd.
Prior to excelling at slot receiver (ironically the spot Pittsburgh needs the most), Boyd grew up in Clairton, Pennsylvania which is just a few miles southeast of Pittsburgh. He then played his college ball at the University of Pittsburgh when he was drafted by Cincinnati with the 61st overall pick in 2016.
After being drafted by Cincinnati, Boyd has established himself as one of the best slot receivers in the NFL by amassing 513 receptions for 6,000 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns during his eight seasons in Cincinnati.
To add on to his impressive numbers, Boyd is actually far more talented than his numbers show because he has fallen behind in the pecking order in Cincinnati now that the team has drafted two new superstar receivers in Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. If Boyd were on a team with a little less of a talented crowd trying to snag receptions, Boyd is plenty talented enough to cross the one-thousand yard mark like he did in 2018 and 2019.
Given the fact that Boyd is technically a third option at receiver and his depreciated statistics, he will most likely be available at a bargain of around $10 to $15 million per season. While that sounds like a lot, that value to bring in a player talented enough to be a first or second option at receiver is fairly remarkable.
Pittsburgh would be wise to bring in Boyd to start on the outside with Pickens and bump Johnson in to the interior position. At 5’10”, Johnson is more suited to catch quick routes over the middle than to catch deep passes. Depending on how he would look in camp, Boyd could also slide into the slot role he has mastered in Cincinnati.
As hard as it is for Cincinnati fans to watch Boyd leave, it is understandable that he play for his home town team. After all, one of the coolest moments for a high school or collegiate athlete in the city of Pittsburgh is to play on at Heinz Field (at Acrisure Stadium now after the name changes) and it would have to be a triumphant moment for Boyd to return to the field as a Steeler. Boyd would be an incredible value pickup for Pittsburgh that would have the power to influence the offense right out of the gate.
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