Cincinnati Bengals Offseason Workout / Dylan Buell/GettyImages

We are several weeks into free agency and things have slowed down substantially in the NFL world, with the signings downgrading from hourly game-changers to a somewhat notable acquisition every other day or so.

As the fog clears, we see some new faces on the Bengals’ roster, such as Trent Brown and Sheldon Rankins, while other former members of the Stripe club moved on to other teams– most notably Joe Mixon (Texans), D.J. Reader (Lions), and Chidobe Awuzie (Titans).

However, one position that has remained oddly calm for Cincinnati, especially considering all the buzz around it heading into the off-season, is wide receiver. Sure, Tyler Boyd is out on the market and Tee Higgins requested a trade, however, no actual moves have come to fruition for either of them yet. In fact, the only actual transactions worth noting are the re-signing of Trenton Irwin and Stanley Morgan Jr. (who is more renowned for his special teams play and leadership in the locker room) going down south to the Bayou to sign with the Saints.

With a lot of uncertainty regarding the wide receiver room, now seems like a perfect time to take a look at what Cincinnati’s wide receiver room might look like in 2024, starting at the top.

Solidified Starters: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins

Ja’Marr Chase is the sole starter in the receiver room that fans can be 100 percent certain will return in 2024. No trade request, no expiring contract, and likely a record-setting extension on the horizon to keep Chase in black-and-orange for years to come. The LSU product is arguably a top five receiver in the entire league, arguably even top three, or higher. So Bengals’ fans can find some solace in knowing that Chase will likely be in Stripes for the foreseeable future.

Now it’s time to address the elephant in the room: Higgins. Will he be a Bengal in 2024? Well, no one knows quite yet for sure, but there’s reason to believe that he will be.

This is less because Higgins himself wants to stay in Cincy (although he has already voiced his desire to remain a Bengal), and more so the front office’s stubbornness when it comes to situations like these.

It seems for the past three off-seasons now the team has dealt with this sort of thing, and the conclusion has always been the same. In 2022, it was Jessie Bates who wanted a longer deal, only to be franchise-tagged. There was a little bit of drama, but Bates played in 2022 without issue before leaving for Atlanta the following off-season.

Then, in 2023, Jonah Williams requested a trade almost immediately following the Orlando Brown Jr. signing, but the Bengals stayed firm. Williams played the 2023 season in stripes before signing with the Cardinals in free agency this offseason And while the rumor mill has picked up as of late– which is a given as Higgins is a much more sought-after player than Bates and especially Williams were– this situation could turn out the same way.

Higgins will likely will play out the 2024 season with Cincinnati before signing somewhere else next spring. The Bengals don’t typically give in to trade demands, the last time they did so was in 2020 with Carlos Dunlap, dealing him to the Seahawks– and even then that took Dunlap listing his property up for sale on social media.

So, it’s not a stretch at all to believe that Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, for the fourth year in a row, will be the Bengals’ WR1 and WR2. Or, perhaps more fittingly, WR1a and WR1b.

Rotational Pieces: Trenton Irwin, Andrei Iosivas, Jalen McMillan

If you’re unfamiliar with the term ‘running back-by-committee’, it boils down to having two or three running backs that split carries rather than having one bell cow take the bulk of snaps while the other running backs on the depth chart scarcely get playing time. The Bengals could do something similar to that this season but with the WR3 role, which is now left open with no definitive solution following the likely departure of Tyler Boyd.

Irwin, who has essentially been the Bengals’ WR4 for the past couple of seasons, has recently signed a 1-year extension and will no doubt have a far bigger role if Boyd is gone — a role that he’s undoubtedly earned in his limited opportunities.

Over the last two years as a rotational piece for Cincinnati, Irwin caught 40 passes for 547 yards and five touchdowns. While he’s far from a game-changer or an explosive option in the passing game, he has served as a reliable target for Burrow, especially when one of the top guys goes down.

But, while Irwin’s role will be greater in 2024, he might not be a solidified WR3. Instead, he could end up splitting many more snaps than Boyd did, and one of those players he’ll be sharing with is Andrei Iosivas.

The 6th-round pick out of Princeton didn’t have a remarkable rookie campaign in 2023, but he flashed a lot of potential. He had 15 receptions, four touchdowns, and was able to show off some great verticality and athleticism here and there. As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest if he saw a major increase in touches in 2024. Again, he will be sharing reps, but Iosivas will almost certainly see more of the field in 2024.

This brings us to the last member of this group of rotational pieces: Washington Husky wideout Jalen McMillan. While the Bengals will most likely address the trenches in the first two rounds of the draft– probably offensive tackle in the first and a run-stopping defensive lineman in the second– it isn’t inconceivable that they’d use at least one of their picks after to try and add some firepower to the wide receiver room. And with McMillan projected to be a 3rd-rounder, he could very well be in orange-and-black by training camp.

Although he saw a decline in production in 2023– not so coincidentally as Rome Odunze set himself apart as Washington’s clear-cut WR1 with an incredible season– McMillan still put up solid numbers with 559 yards and 5 touchdowns. Overall, he appears to have a lot of upside. Plus, he spent a lot of time in the slot during his collegiate career, so he could be the eventual long-term replacement for Boyd a little further down the road.

As for this year (if he does get drafted to Cincy, that is), his role will probably be limited just like Iosivas and Jones were, albeit slightly less so.

Depth: Charlie Jones, Kwamie Lassiter II

Now we get to the depths of the depth chart — players who will likely only see the field in the event of injury and/ or a blowout (hopefully with the Bengals on the giving rather than the receiving end). First up is another member of last year’s draft class, like Iosivas: Charlie Jones.

The former Boilermaker hardly saw the field on offense in 2023, and that’s not likely to change in 2024. Even if the Bengals don’t draft or sign any other wideouts, Jones will still be behind Irwin and Iosivas, both players who have shown more potential than he has, so there’s little reason to think that he’ll leapfrog either.

Now, as a returner? Jones is electric and he’ll certainly carve out a role for himself in that aspect of the game. But that isn’t likely to translate to his snaps as a receiver.

Then there’s Kwamie Lassiter II, who has been a practice squad player for the past couple of seasons. With Lassiter, a trend has emerged. He spends most of the season on the practice squad before Chase or Higgins or whoever else inevitably gets injured. Then he’s then elevated to the official roster and comes in for a few snaps before the injured player ultimately returns. That script is unlikely to be flipped this season, but Lassiter will continue to provide some needed depth for the Bengals.