The Cincinnati Bengals have an embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position. It's one thing to have a top-five guy like Ja'Marr Chase, but they also have Tee Higgins, a No.2 option that would be a No.1 on most teams. 

That's not where it stops in Cincinnati, though. 

The two-time defending AFC North champions have another viable threat at receiver in the slot, Tyler Boyd. He doesn't get a lot of the spotlight playing with Chase and Higgins, but T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who played for the Bengals for eight seasons (2001-2008), tipped his hat to Boyd earlier this week.

“To me, you say ‘reliable,’ and that doesn’t give him enough credit,” Houshmandzadeh said. “It kind of discredits him. It’s a putdown. He’s better than reliable. He’s a good receiver. He knows how to run good routes. He’s got really good size. If he doesn’t get hurt, the Bengals go to the Super Bowl again.”

That final sentence is Houshmandzadeh agreeing with Boyd's statement that the Bengals would have beaten the Kansas City Chiefs had he not suffered a deep thigh bruise in the AFC Championship Game last season.

It's easy to forget with the recent success of the Bengals but Boyd was once a top option for them. In 2018 and 2019, Boyd had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. 

Speaking of the 2019 campaign, that was the first season for Zac Taylor as the Bengals' head coach. It was a disaster as Cincinnati went 2-14 and it barely got any better a season later when the team went 4-11-1.

It's been heaven over the last two years as the Bengals have won 22 games in the regular season and have reached multiple conference title games as well as a Super Bowl berth. So, Boyd has seen both sides of the equation. 

“He was part of the turnaround," said Houshmandzadeh. "He was part of the good, the bad, and now this run. I like him a lot. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Despite being the third option the last two seasons, Boyd has put up just under 1,600 yards and 10 touchdowns. He'll be an unrestricted free agent next offseason, but with his value, the Bengals will be diligent in getting something done.

Boyd missed some of the OTAs due to family obligations. He finally made an appearance this week, and it was a welcome sight to see.

“He’s one of those guys that through thick and thin is always, ‘Whatever you need from me coach,” said Bengals' head coach Zac Taylor. “One thing we preach to all of our guys, especially our new guys, is we want guys that are consistent every day they walk into the building. We know what we’re going to expect. TB fits that to a T.”

Boyd has been an important part of the Bengals rise to the top of the NFL and he'll continue to do that until further notice. 

Feature image via Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK