Teams have more incentive to sign free agents following the draft, when the market presents opportunities. The deadline for signings to affect the 2025 compensatory formula expired this week, opening the door for some players to find new homes ahead of offseason work.
Tyler Boyd remains unsigned, but that may not be the case for long. The longtime Bengals wide receiver met with the Chargers this week, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, who adds the Titans have a Boyd meeting scheduled as well. Boyd will be in Nashville later this week.
Among the teams linked to Boyd earlier this offseason, the Chargers still have an apparent need at wideout. The team traded Keenan Allen — the second-longest-tenured receiver in franchise history — to the Bears and released Mike Williams as the cap compliance deadline neared. Williams joined the Jets. The Bolts passed on filling their receiver need with Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze — the latter joining Allen in Chicago — to draft Joe Alt at No. 5. We had heard continued rumblings the Bolts would proceed this way, and even though the team added Georgia’s Ladd McConkey in Round 2, it is arguable it still needs help at the position.
Los Angeles also drafted two receivers in Round 7 — USC’s Brenden Rice and ex-Jim Harbaugh Michigan charge Cornelius Johnson. That presents a complication for a team that does still roster Josh Palmerand 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston. The latter struggled to acclimate as a rookie, but the team will still expect development in Year 2. With the Chargers not making a secret they plan to commit to the run game, they probably are not too eager to pay much for a veteran receiver.
The Titans have more money invested at the position, beating out the Jaguars and Patriots to sign Calvin Ridley (four years, $96M) while still rostering 2023 addition DeAndre Hopkins. The latter is under contact at an $8.27M salary on his two-year deal. The Titans saw Hopkins, 31, shake off his run of injuries and stay healthy last season — his seventh 1,000-yard campaign. They also carry 2022 first-rounder Treylon Burks, but the Arkansas alum — acquired shortly after the A.J. Brown trade — has not panned out just yet. This Tennessee regime also did not draft Brown, with Jon Robinson and Mike Vrabel since fired.
Tennessee does feature a familiar face for Boyd in new HC Brian Callahan, the Bengals’ OC for the previous five seasons. Boyd produced three straight 800-plus-yard seasons — including a 1,000-yard showing in 2019 — in Callahan’s first three seasons. Boyd is coming off a down year (67 receptions, 667 yards, two touchdowns), but so is Tee Higgins. Joe Burrow‘s injury impacted Cincy’s receiving corps across the board.
Boyd, 29, was also linked to the Chiefs, 49ers, Lions, Dolphins and Steelers before the draft. Mutual interest in a Boyd return to his hometown (Pittsburgh) existed, but the former second-round pick’s asking price proved too high for the Steelers. With signings no longer affecting the compensatory formula, teams are traditionally more willing at this time of year to add midlevel free agents. Boyd, who has made his bones in the slot, continues to command interest as an auxiliary option.
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