Bengals Receiver Andrei Iosivas’ Confidence Is Growing Right Alongside His Role

CINCINNATI — Andrei Iosivas’ confidence is growing.

Not that it ever was lacking. But the second-year wide receiver has gone from the Ivy League to a central part of the offensive plan for the Cincinnati Bengals, and he’s making sure he’s ready for it.

And warning opposing defenses they better be ready for him in the slot, in addition to worrying about Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside.

Bengals WR Andrei Iosivas Warns Defenses Not To Forget About Him

“I think I can really stretch the field vertically,” Iosivas said. “The safeties are gonna have to honor that, and that can open a lot of stuff for Tee and Ja’Marr. Or if they don’t cover me, then it’s gonna be a 90-yard touchdown. It’s pick your poison.”

When Tyler Boyd left for the Tennessee Titans in free agency, 2,519 of the team’s slot snaps since 2020 walked out the door with him.

Iosivas won’t pick up all of them. Boyd didn’t just lead the Bengals in that span, he led the NFL, with the Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb 562 a distant second, per TruMedia.

The gaping vacancy, Joe Burrow’s accuracy, Iosvias’ ability and, possibly, Chase’s truancy create an intoxicating brew of possibility that have many predicting a breakout season for the Hawaii native.

“I’ve worked hard to be here, and anything that comes my way is because of the work that I’ve put in,” Iosivas said. “If a big year is ahead of me, then so be it. I’m just gonna work to keep going.”

You don’t get to Princeton without intelligence, even if world-class athleticism is part of the propulsion. And Iosvias’ quest for knowledge hasn’t dissipated since leaving the hallowed halls of the nation’s fourth-oldest institution of higher learning.

After the Bengals informed Iosivas of their plan to use him more in the slot, he took a course in TB101, watching hours of film on Boyd, paying attention not only to how he ran routes and used leverage but how the slot role fit within the entire route concepts of the offense.

Iosivas also spent time in Atlanta with running back Chase Brown, a member of the team’s 2023 draft class, working with receiving coach Drew Lieberman to improve their technique.

“He wants to be a great player, and he wants to learn all the nuances of that position,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. “It’s different than being outside. So he’s got the ability to do everything for us. But you’ve seen this training camp, he’s focused more in there in the slot, so that gives us a lot of flexibility.

“He’s taken the right approach to it. He’s trying to learn every single day and (is) constantly improving. I really like what I’ve seen from him.”

What makes using Iosvias in the slot so unique is his size. At 6-foot-3, he’s taller than many slot receivers. That’s why he spent his off day this week diving into film of Keenan Allen (6-2), among others.

“I picked a bunch of guys I think are the best in the game, so obviously Keenan Allen,” he said. “I also watched a bunch of Larry Fitzgerald (6-3). Just guys in the slot who are Hall of Fame guys.

“Keenan and Larry are both bigger dudes, so if I can play to that skill set and see what works for them, I can try to incorporate that into my game as well.”