The Bengals got a chance to catch up with wide receiver Marvin Jones for the first time since he left for the Lions as a free agent during Thursday night’s game in Detroit and they saw Jones looking at home in the Lions offense with four catches for 65 yards.
If there are any regrets about not making a bigger bid to keep Jones in the fold, they’re tempered by the way rookie Tyler Boyd has played. The second-round pick caught a 40-yard pass in the preseason opener and had two catches for 38 yards and a touchdown to go with a 24-yard punt return against the Lions.
That big-play ability is hard to miss and it earned Boyd a good review from head coach Marvin Lewis on Thursday night.
“Well, he understands how to play football and does a good job,” Lewis said. “He’s taking advantage of the opportunity he gets.”
That opportunity is bigger right now because the Bengals are without wide receiver Brandon LaFell and tight end Tyler Eifert, but Boyd’s early work has provided reason to believe they can keep making plays without that duo. For his part, Boyd says he “came to work and all I want to do is continue to be consistent.” If that consistency continues to involve big gains, those opportunities won’t go away when the rest of the receiving corps returns to action.
