Tyler Boyd makes PFF All-Underrated Team

Put some respect in this man’s name.

Tyler Boyd has earned his way into the hearts of Cincinnati Bengals fans.

Over the last few years, the Bengals’ offense has been turbulent. Not only have the Bengals rotated offensive linemen frequently, but the quarterback position has been extremely inconsistent.

Through it all, Boyd has had nearly 3,000 receiving yards over the last three seasons, while catching passes from Andy Dalton, Jeff Driskel, Joe Burrow, Ryan Finley, and Brandon Allen. He did all of this while playing from the slot, which is harder to produce from than the outside.

Yet, Boyd was the first player not named A.J. Green to have back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons since 2006-2007, when Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh did it. The second year he had 1,000 receiving yards was in 2019, when the Bengals finished 30th in total offense, and got the first overall pick in the next draft.

Pro Football Focus named Boyd to the All-Underrated Team. Over the last three years, they say that Boyd has been one of the best slot receivers in the NFL.

Here’s what they said about Boyd:

Slot receiver is one of the most valuable positions on the field, and Boyd has grown into one of the NFL’s top players at that position over the past three years. Since 2018, he has run the third-most routes from the slot and is one of the league’s 10 highest-graded players on those reps. Boyd’s 51 explosive receptions of 15-plus yards from the slot lead the league in that span.

The Bengals see it that way, which is why Boyd has the second-highest base salary and the fourth largest cap-hit on the team in 2021.