It couldn't be clearer that the Cincinnati Bengals must revamp their defense, as the unit has been below average each of the last three years and finished 30th in scoring in 2025. However, USA Today's Chris Roling named wide receiver as a "sleeper free agency need" on Saturday.

"The Bengals need more from their third wideout spot," he said. "Sometimes that goes to tight end Mike Gesicki, technically speaking. But Andrei Iosivas struggled with drops last year and regressed to just 435 yards and two touchdowns. The Jermaine Burton experiment blew up in their face."

"Elsewhere on the depth chart, they need Charlie Jones for special teams," he continued. "Names like Mitch Tinsley have promise. But more bona fide, proven production could help the entire offense. Waiting on a former sixth-round pick to develop on the fly when a third wideout should be feasting while defenses look at Ja’Mar Chase and Tee Higgins is not going to keep working."

Chase and Higgins are two of the NFL's best wideouts, so mentioning that position as a need for Cincinnati is curious at first glance. But given that the team hasn't had a consistent third option since Tyler Boyd left in 2024, it makes sense.

Boyd was an established veteran when the Bengals drafted Higgins and star quarterback Joe Burrow in 2020, as he was coming off two straight 1,000-yard seasons. The 2016 second-round pick followed up with 841, 828, 762, and 667 yards over the next four seasons, respectively before signing with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.

Iosivas then took Boyd's spot, but he's yet to crack 500 yards in a season despite not missing a game over the last two years. Running back Chase Brown was third on the team with 437 receiving yards in 2025, and Gesicki was third with 665 yards in 2024.

While defense must be the priority this offseason, upgrading from Iosivas would put even more stress on opposing secondaries next year and would provide depth should Chase and/or Higgins miss time. Who should the front office go after in free agency?

Several established veteran wideouts are hitting the open market and could be had at affordable prices. For example, Christian Kirk and Darnell Mooney have market-value AAVs of $5.3 million and $7.5 million, respectively (per Spotrac). Kirk had just 239 yards across 13 games for the Houston Texans last season, but he logged 787 over 12 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023. Meanwhile, Mooney had 443 yards last season and 992 in 2024. 

Other options include Keenan Allen ($6.8 million AAV), Marquise Brown ($5.2 million), and Sterling Shepard ($3.3 million). All three of those players have better track records than Iosivas, although Shepard hasn't cracked 400 yards in a season since he tallied 656 for the New York Giants in 2020. Still, there's little harm in signing a seasoned third wideout on a cheap deal.

Regardless, Cincinnati must do all it can to keep Burrow happy, especially after three straight non-playoff seasons. Getting the former LSU Tiger a quality third wideout would be a good way to do so.