By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

When thinking about the best WR duo in the NFL, a few combinations come to mind such as AJ Brown and Julio Jones of the Tennessee Titans, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Bucs, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett of the Seattle Seahawks, and a few others as well. One team that doesn’t come up right away, at least not yet, is the Cincinnati Bengals. That could change in the very near future because the Bengals have an extremely talented, and very young, pair of WRs in second year player Tee Higgins and rookie Ja’Marr Chase. When paired with the fact that they have a young and promising quarterback in Joe Burrow throwing them the ball, the future is extremely bright for the Bengals offense. They could soon have the very best WR duo in the NFL if things go according to plan for them.

Tee Higgins

After being selected in the second round out of Clemson in the 2020 NFL Draft, the 6’4 and 215 pound Tee Higgins put together a very impressive rookie campaign. He played in all 16 games while registering 67 receptions on 108 targets for 908 yards and 6 touchdowns. He leads the entire Bengals team in total yards, touchdowns, yards per reception with 13.6, and receiving yards per game with 56.8. He was also second on the team in both receptions and targets, trailing only Tyler Boyd. He was clearly a huge part of their offense and one of the best players on the team. The break out rookie should continue to improve through the offseason, while also continuing to develop chemistry with Joe Burrow, and has the potential to be a top tier WR in the NFL this coming season and beyond, all things considered. It will be very intriguing to see what how good of a player he can really turn into if he does in fact take that next step.

Ja’Marr Chase

At 6’1 and 201 pounds with lightning speed and excellent leaping ability, the rookie WR out of LSU has all of the tools to be an elite playmaker at the NFL level. That is one of the main reasons why the Bengals selected Chase with their 5th overall pick in the NFL Draft this year. The other main reason is the connection between him and quarterback Joe Burrow, who the Bengals selected first overall in the previous draft. Specifically, in 2019 when they played together at LSU, Chase and Burrow put together one of the best WR and QB seasons of all time, respectively. In 14 starts that year, Chase recorded 84 receptions for 1780 yards and 20 touchdowns on his way to winning the Biletnikoff Award. He capped off that amazing season with a national championship by contributing 9 receptions for 221 yards and two touchdowns.

Chase opted to sit out of the 2020 season but clearly did enough in 2019 to earn himself a high selection in the draft. The added bonus of being able to play with the same quarterback that he did in college is what puts this connection over the top. Chemistry is something that takes a long time to develop, so it’s a huge luxury that the Bengals already have that in this QB and WR duo. The potential is sky high when it comes to Chase and his projections in the NFL, and Burrow further amplifies that. If Chase can live up to the hype and make an immediate impact as he’s expected to, then pairing him with an already productive Higgins makes them an extremely exciting WR duo to keep an eye on. If they can grow together over the next year or so, they will be one of the best in the NFL for many years to come. They are a real threat to take over the top spot, especially if Burrow blossoms to his true potential also.

The post Why the Bengals could soon have the Top WR Duo in the NFL appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

Through just two seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, AJ Brown has already made a big name for himself. He is a dominant force at the wide receiver position and has all of the tools to be absolutely elite. He is big and strong, measuring in at 6’1 and 226 pounds so he has the ability to overpower smaller coverage defenders while also possessing the speed and ball skills to be a deep threat as well. Now entering his third season out of Ole Miss, he is in an excellent position to take the next step forward. Here is why he can be a top 5 WR this year.

Increasing Production

In his first season in 2019, Brown was not only one of the best rookies in the NFL but one of the better wide receivers overall. He played in all 16 games while recording 52 receptions on 84 targets for 1051 yards and 8 touchdowns. One of the most impressive numbers was his massive 20.2 yards per reception including a career long catch of 91 yards. Additionally, he chipped in a big play in the rushing game with a 49 yard touchdown on the ground. He was consistently productive in a wide variety of routes and demonstrated that he was a home run threat any time the ball came his way.

Brown followed up his impressive rookie campaign with an an even better second season. He increased his total output for the season and actually did it in two fewer games than 2019. Across 14 games played he accumulated 70 receptions on 106 targets for 1075 yards and 11 touchdowns. If he had played the full 16 games his numbers obviously would have been even higher but either way he still improved from one year to the next. This upward trend strongly suggests that he could be in line for a monster 2021 season.

Offensive Scheme

The way that the Titans operate on offense is beneficial to the style of play for Brown. With Derrick Henry being so dominant in the rushing game, demonstrated by his 2000 yard season last year, the opposing defense has to respect the run and bring extra players around the line of scrimmage to help slow him down. When the safeties have to come forward and can’t drop deep into coverage all the time, it opens the door for Brown to get behind the defense and make those big plays. The rushing attack of Henry also opens up the play action passing game for Ryan Tannehill, where he is most comfortable and does his best work. This is where Brown has been able to do a large part of his damage.

The Julio Jones Effect

One of the biggest moves of the entire NFL offseason was the Titans acquiring Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons. Unfortunately, he was not able to stay healthy last year so his numbers were very down, but before that he was on an insane stretch of six straight seasons of at least 1394 receiving yards or more. He eclipsed 100 receptions in three of those seasons and had at least six receiving touchdowns in five of them. He has statistically been one of the best and most consistent wide receivers over the last decade.

On the surface, it may seem like Jones would steal some targets away from Brown but that is unlikely to be the case. The Titans lost both Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith to free agency so most of their target share will be replaced by Jones. The real benefit that Brown gets from the arrival of Jones is the dilemma that it puts opposing defenses in. They already have to respect the rushing game of Henry and now they will have their hands full trying to account for both Jones and Brown.

All things considered, adding the superstar Jones to the wide receiving core does not at all take away from the projections for Brown but actually make them even higher. The Titans offense is now a match up nightmare for opposing defenses and should provide plenty of opportunities for Brown to thrive. He will see more single coverage this year than previously and that’s a dangerous situation for his opponents. Brown looks ready to take a big leap forward this year and can be among the very best wide receivers in the entire NFL.

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