Bengals' Tyler Boyd Vents About Lack of Targets After 1-Catch Game vs. Raiders

When Tyler Boyd signed a four-year, $43 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals in July, he figured he would serve as a complementary option alongside seven-time Pro Bowler A.J. Green. 

Green suffered an ankle injury soon after the ink on Boyd's contract dried and has to yet to play in a game this season. Although Green's absence figured to give Boyd an opportunity to take on a bigger workload, that has not been the case. At least not consistently.

And the fourth-year wideout is frustrated.

"I feel like I'm the go-to guy with A.J. down," Boyd said after having just one catch for zero yards in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Oakland Raiders, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. "I felt like [my] targets were not where they should have been. I feel that I'm a game-changer and I could have utilized my talents in any way to move the chains, and nothing was coming my way."

Boyd was targeted just three times by rookie quarterback Ryan Finley in Week 11, his lowest total since 2017. It marked the third time he has had three catches or fewer in a game in 10 outings this season.

He also recorded one carry for 10 yards in the loss.

The 2016 second-round pick is coming off his most productive season to date, as he established career highs in receptions (76), yards (1,028) and touchdowns (seven) last year.

Of note, he put up those numbers as Green was limited to just nine games due to injury. In five games without him in 2018, Boyd hauled in 21 catches for 311 yards and two scores, averaging 6.8 targets per game.

Boyd has 598 yards and one touchdown while averaging 9.4 targets per game in 10 appearances this season. He has just seven receptions for 62 yards in two games since Finley replaced Andy Dalton as the starting quarterback.

He has produced when given the opportunity, but unfortunately for the Bengals, they haven't gotten him the football enough for him to make a difference. They are the only winless team in the NFL at 0-10. 

First-year coach Zac Taylor met with Boyd on Monday and let it be known the team will be looking to use the wideout more moving forward.

"He's certainly one of our best players, so we've gotta get him more involved," Taylor said, per Baby.

At his current pace, Boyd could make a run at 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season and possibly earn his first career Pro Bowl selection. His only focus, though, is on helping his team win.

"I don't feel like that's an achievement that they should give me," Boyd said, per Baby. "It's really not about stats. It's about me wanting to make plays, wanting them to trust me, wanting them to throw me the ball so I can help get a win."