Bengals Agree To Terms With Trent Taylor

A key member of the Bengals’ special teams units will remain in place for 2023. Cincinnati is re-signing receiver and returner Trent Taylor on a one-year deal, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old has spent the past two seasons with the Bengals, also on one-year pacts. Over that span, he has made only eight catches in a limited offensive role. The lone time in which he was used more on offense than special teams was the first two years of his 49ers tenure to begin his career. That stretch included 430 receiving yards as a rookie.

Taylor has primarily been known for his success in the return game since then, however. He ran back six kickoffs with the Bengals over the past two years, but returned 40 punts over that span. In 2022, he totaled 340 yards on 33 returns, which ranked fourth in the NFL. His average of 10.3 yards per return marked the second-highest mark of his career, and ranked third in the league.

Given that level of success, it comes as little surprise that the Bengals have elected to keep him in the fold for another year. The team has a highly-productive receiver trio on offense, though Taylor’s previous experience qualifies him as a potential fill-in option if necessary. The Bengals’ weakness in terms of DVOA in 2022 was their special teams, a unit which ranked 18th in that regard.

Taylor’s individual performance has obviously not been seen as the cause for that, though. He will look to repeat his success in a third Bengals campaign (and perhaps earn a longer-term deal in the process), while the AFC North champions prepare to have one of the better return games in the league once again.