The Bengals are getting Tee Higgins back tonight. They also have Ja’Marr Chase. But I still like the look of Andrei Iosivas. He’s been unusually good in clutch situations around the goal line.
Iosivas didn’t play a lot as a rookie. He was a sixth-round pick out of Princeton. (Like Ka’imi Fairbairn and DeForest Buckner, he played his high school ball at Barack Obama’s alma mater in Honolulu – Punahou.)
But when the Bengals put Iosivas on the field some late last year, he caught 4 touchdowns – all on plays inside 10 yards.
Last Sunday at Arrowhead, Iosivas caught a 4-yard touchdown on a third-and-goal play, and he caught a 3-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-goal gamble. Those were high-leverage movements, and they successfully went his way.
So far as a pro, Iosivas has been the intended target on 6 plays inside the 10-yard line, and all of them have resulted in touchdowns. No incompletions.
The Bengals still have Chase and Higgins, of course, and nobody is suggesting Iosivas is ready to start matching stats with those guys. But with what he’s been able to achieve around the goal line, I expect they’ll continue to look his way in a healthy number of those situations. He’ll tend to see more favorable coverage, I would think, with fewer double teams and top corners.
The Bengals let Tyler Boyd sign with Tennessee, but I don’t think they’re missing him much at all. Certainly not around the goal line. I would think Iosivas can be a serviceable third receiver, and they’ve got Jermaine Burton developing as well. (Burton likely will move into Higgins’ starting spot in 2025.)
In the past 10 years, 34 players have had seasons with at least 10 targets inside the 10-yard line where they’ve scored on over half of their targets. (That’s including both touchdowns and 2-point conversions.) Iosivas is just getting started with his career, but thus far he’s been more efficient than all of those guys.
| PASS CATCHERS THRIVING INSIDE THE 10 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Att | Com | TD | 2Pt | EZ% |
| 23-24 | WR Andrei Iosivas, Cin. | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 100% |
| 2020 | WR Adam Thielen, Min. | 15 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 73% |
| 2017 | WR Alshon Jeffery, Phi. | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 73% |
| 2016 | WR Mike Evans, T.B. | 11 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 73% |
| 2021 | WR Mike Evans, T.B. | 11 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 73% |
| 2023 | WR Brandin Cooks, Dall. | 10 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 70% |
| 2014 | TE Julius Thomas, Den. | 10 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 70% |
| 2020 | WR Davante Adams, G.B. | 19 | 17 | 13 | 0 | 68% |
| 2022 | RB Jerick McKinnon, K.C. | 12 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 67% |
| 2017 | WR Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 14 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 64% |
| 2015 | TE Richard Rodgers, G.B. | 11 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 64% |
| 2017 | WR DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | 11 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 64% |
| 2018 | WR Mike Williams, LAC | 11 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 64% |
| 2014 | TE Jimmy Graham, N.O. | 11 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 64% |
| 2015 | TE Jordan Reed, Was. | 11 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 64% |
| 2014 | WR Roddy White, Atl. | 10 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 60% |
| 2014 | WR Randall Cobb, G.B. | 15 | 11 | 8 | 1 | 60% |
| 2016 | WR Jordy Nelson, G.B. | 15 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 60% |
| 2014 | WR Odell Beckham, NYG | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 60% |
| 2021 | TE Pat Freiermuth, Pitt. | 10 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 60% |
| 2020 | TE Jonnu Smith, Ten. | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 60% |
| 2015 | WR Allen Robinson, Jac. | 17 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 59% |
| 2015 | WR Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. | 12 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 58% |
| 2023 | TE Sam LaPorta, Det. | 12 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 58% |
| 2020 | TE Travis Kelce, K.C. | 14 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 57% |
| 2021 | TE Mark Andrews, Bal. | 16 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 56% |
| 2020 | WR Mike Evans, T.B. | 16 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 56% |
| 2019 | TE Austin Hooper, Atl. | 11 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 55% |
| 2022 | WR Christian Kirk, Jac. | 11 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 55% |
| 2019 | WR Cooper Kupp, LAR | 11 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 55% |
| 2016 | WR Michael Thomas, N.O. | 11 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 55% |
| 2017 | WR Antonio Brown, Pitt. | 11 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 55% |
| 2022 | WR Russell Gage, T.B. | 11 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 55% |
| 2020 | TE Darren Waller, L.V. | 13 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 54% |
| 2017 | WR Michael Crabtree, Oak. | 13 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 54% |
—Ian Allan