5 potential cap casualties the Jacksonville Jaguars should be in on in 2023

No. 2 cap casualty the Jacksonville Jaguars should target: Tyler Boyd

The Cincinnati Bengals had one of the best wide receiver corps in the NFL last year. Opposing defenses couldn’t double Ja’Marr Chase because they ran the risk of getting burned by Tee Higgins. Moreover, teams couldn’t overlook Tyler Boyd, who wasn’t nearly as productive but still managed to haul in 58 receptions for 762 yards with five touchdowns behind Chase and Higgins.

Although the Jacksonville Jaguars have been brought up as a potential trade destination for Higgins, who was teammates with Trevor Lawrence at Clemson, it’s hard to see him landing in Jacksonville. Besides the draft picks needed to trade for him, he’ll want a new contract, which will make it difficult for the Jaguars to make a bid for his services.

Make no mistake, Higgins is a great player who can start for half the NFL. However, the Jaguars should set their sights on another Bengals receiver, and in case the headline didn’t give it away, it should be Tyler Boyd.

Before Cincy drafted Higgins in 2020 and Chase the following year, Boyd was their No. 1 receiver, posting back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019. Even after Higgins and Chase arrived, Boyd has still managed to haul in 146 receptions for 1,669 yards with nine touchdowns over the last three seasons.

The Jags made a heavy investment into their wide receiver corps last year when they signed Christian Kirk and Zay Jones in free agency, so it doesn’t make sense to pursue some of the big names that may be available this offseason. Having said that, Jacksonville wouldn’t need to give up draft picks to sign Boyd if he’s released, and he might turn out to be an affordable option in the open market.