
The Cincinnati Bengals made a move that shows that they are hoping Tyler Boyd will be ready to take over once A.J. Green is officially done. The team gave Boyd a four-year contract extension, announcing the move on Tuesday afternoon. The contract extension is worth $43 million, as they lock him in as he is entering the final year of his rookie contract. This new contract will now keep him with the team through the 2023 season.
Boyd is a former second-round draft pick in 2016, and it took a little over a year, but he quickly became the No. 2 option for Andy Dalton and the Bengal offense. His breakout began at the end of the 2017 season, and he was able to keep it going through 2018. This contract also comes as Green enters a contract season, and with the 31-year-old battling injuries over the past few years, it is not a guaranteed that Cincinnati will be all-in with him. Boyd on the other hand had his first 1,000-yard season, catching 76 passes for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games in 2018. If he keeps it up this season, it could signal the end of Green in the orange and black.
In an unfortunate piece of news, the Atlanta Falcons will be without safety J.J. Wilcox for the entire 2019 season due to an ACL injury. Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed the severity of the injury on Tuesday, one day after Wilcox went down with the right knee injury on Monday, which was the first day of training camp. The 28-year-old was scheduled to get a second opinion, but that was not needed after the results of the first test. Wilcox was an off-season addition by Atlanta, as he was set to add depth behind Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. The team was even planning on using the three together on the field, which was shown on Monday, but now their defense is going to change things on the depth chart.
Boyd is a former second-round draft pick in 2016, and it took a little over a year, but he quickly became the No. 2 option for Andy Dalton and the Bengal offense. His breakout began at the end of the 2017 season, and he was able to keep it going through 2018. This contract also comes as Green enters a contract season, and with the 31-year-old battling injuries over the past few years, it is not a guaranteed that Cincinnati will be all-in with him. Boyd on the other hand had his first 1,000-yard season, catching 76 passes for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games in 2018. If he keeps it up this season, it could signal the end of Green in the orange and black.
In an unfortunate piece of news, the Atlanta Falcons will be without safety J.J. Wilcox for the entire 2019 season due to an ACL injury. Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed the severity of the injury on Tuesday, one day after Wilcox went down with the right knee injury on Monday, which was the first day of training camp. The 28-year-old was scheduled to get a second opinion, but that was not needed after the results of the first test. Wilcox was an off-season addition by Atlanta, as he was set to add depth behind Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. The team was even planning on using the three together on the field, which was shown on Monday, but now their defense is going to change things on the depth chart.