Andrei Iosivas: What to know about the rookie leading the Bengals in preseason receiving

[Arkansas Bengal]

Dave Clark, Cincinnati Enquirer

Mon, Aug 21, 2023, 2:14 AM CDT·3 min read

 

 

 

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Andrei Iosivas

As Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd have watched from the sideline, the Cincinnati Bengals' leading receiver through two preseason games has been rookie Andrei Iosivas (pronounced yo-shee-vas).

In the first preseason game against the Packers, Iosivas led the Bengals in targets with 10. He caught four passes for 50 yards, including a 14-yard catch in front of Green Bay's Corey Ballentine.

In Atlanta against the Falcons, Iosivas got another 10 targets, finishing with five catches for 44 yards, including an 18-yard back-shoulder reception despite tight coverage from Falcons cornerback Natrone Brooks.

The Bengals have been impressed with the 6-foot-3 Iosivas, who is expected to be one of six or seven receivers to make the roster ahead of a Week 1 showdown against the Cleveland Browns.

Here are five things to know about Iosivas:

The Bengals drafted Iosivas in the sixth round with the 206th overall pick.

Iosivas was one of two receivers the Bengals selected in the draft, along with fourth-rounder Charlie Jones of Purdue. Iosivas was the only 2023 draft pick from an Ivy League school.

As a sixth-rounder, many considered Iosivas a project pick, but there's no denying his athleticism. In 2022, he was a first-team all-conference selection, leading the Tigers with 66 receptions for 943 yards (14.3) and seven scores in 10 starts.

Iosivas finished his Princeton career ranked sixth all-time in receiving yards with 1,909, tied for 12th in receptions with 125 and tied for third in touchdown catches with 16.

Iosivas' head coach at Princeton, Bob Surace, was an assistant offensive line coach for the Bengals from 2002 to 2009.

Iosivas also starred in track for the Tigers.

Iosivas was an All-American in the heptathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships. He finished fourth in the heptathlon at the 2021 NCAA Championships, setting an Ivy League record with 6,069 points in the seven events.

Iosivas' 40-yard dash time was 4.43. His athleticism score of 84 at the 2023 combine ranked fifth among receivers.

Iosivas grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Iosivas was a three-sport athlete (football, track, basketball) at Punahou School.

He traveled almost 5,000 miles from Hawaii to Princeton, New Jersey, for college.

Iosivas didn't play special teams in high school or college, so he's been working hard as a gunner on the punt team and cover guy on kickoffs.

"By my last gunner rep, both my legs were cramping, but that's part of the preseason life," said Iosivas, per Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson. "You're so anxious to make plays that you're rushing things. I've got to learn to let things develop. … I could have got better position on one kick. On those I have to learn to have them come to me a little bit."

Iosivas' Pro Day generated some buzz.

Pro Football Network's Tony Pauline reported that 31 teams were on hand for the workout at Princeton, including WR coaches from the Jets and Bengals. "He caught everything thrown his way, and his route running was better than expected," Pauline wrote.

Draft Network's Jack McKessy wrote that Iosivas looked great in Senior Bowl workouts as well.

Iosivas has impressed the Bengals' quarterbacks.

"Iosivas is gaining more confidence each day and he showed as much under the bright lights at Paycor Stadium," The Enquirer's Kelsey Conway wrote after the preseason opener.

"Rookie wide receiver Andrei Iosivas built upon his head-turning training camp and was the best player on the field for the Bengals offense," The Enquirer's Charlie Goldsmith added.

"Andrei is big, he's tall, he's strong and he plays the ball well," Bengals QB Trevor Siemian said, per Goldsmith. "You want to give him some chances and let him make plays."

"He's just going to continue to improve, grow and become a viable target here," Bengals QB Jake Browning said of Iosivas. "In the preseason, you want to see what you've got a little bit. I feel good throwing the ball up to him."

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/andrei-iosivas-know-rookie-leading-071409436.html?src=rss

 

 

[|High School Harry|]

I like this kid but I really hope they aren't grooming him as Tee's replacement. 

 

[Jamie_B]

36 minutes ago, High School Harry said:

I like this kid but I really hope they aren't grooming him as Tee's replacement. 

 

 

 

He's still too raw. I suspect next year if we can't get him signed long term that Tee gets tagged and we see how Yoshi looks in year 2 to see if he could take over for Tee or if well have to spend a draft pick. This is the year we look at if Charlie Jones can take over for Boyd next year.

[dex]

7 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

 

 

He's still too raw. I suspect next year if we can't get him signed long term that Tee gets tagged and we see how Yoshi looks in year 2 to see if he could take over for Tee or if well have to spend a draft pick. This is the year we look at if Charlie Jones can take over for Boyd next year.

Tagging a young guy at a premium position doesn't work anymore. TEs get tagged, RBs get tagged. You try to tag Higgins next year, he would just sit out and force a trade. If the Bengals were not going to sign Higgins, the optimal time to trade him would be after his third year and right before the draft. Could have gotten a haul back. But since Duke Tobin told reporters they weren't going to trade him, that other teams should go find their own WRs...that means the Bengals absolutely have to sign Higgins to an extension. No other good options now.

[Jamie_B]

7 minutes ago, dex said:

Tagging a young guy at a premium position doesn't work anymore. TEs get tagged, RBs get tagged. You try to tag Higgins next year, he would just sit out and force a trade. If the Bengals were not going to sign Higgins, the optimal time to trade him would be after his third year and right before the draft. Could have gotten a haul back. But since Duke Tobin told reporters they weren't going to trade him, that other teams should go find their own WRs...that means the Bengals absolutely have to sign Higgins to an extension. No other good options now.

 

If he is tagged, he sits out and doesn't get paid at all. I really doubt that would happen.

[dex]

5 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

 

If he is tagged, he sits out and doesn't get paid at all. I really doubt that would happen.

Tyreek Hill, Davonta Adams, AJ Brown, Mercedes Brown all forced their teams to blink. The teams decided to get what they could get in trade value rather than fuck-around-and-find-out.

[Jamie_B]

6 minutes ago, dex said:

Tyreek Hill, Davonta Adams, AJ Brown, Mercedes Brown all forced their teams to blink. The teams decided to get what they could get in trade value rather than fuck-around-and-find-out.

 

We both know the Bengals are not going to be forced into anything. See Johnna Williams.

[dex]

11 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

 

We both know the Bengals are not going to be forced into anything. See Johnna Williams.

Sure, But sometimes that's to their own detriment. Bates wanted to get traded after he realized that the Bengals weren't going to pay him close to market value, but the team said no. Eventually Bates reported to camp and had a good year, then signed his market value extension elsewhere. So the Bengals got one more year of Bates, but they don't even get a comp pick for him since Orlando Brown cancelled the loss of Bates out. So keeping Bates on a tag for one year of service rather than trading him for good draft capital didn't really pay off in terms of actual value.

 

All of that said, I think the Bengals will sign Higgins. They clearly value him more than they did Bates.

 

 

[|BlackJesus|]

The Bengals need to either give Tee an extension (preferred) or bring in Justin Jefferson (through trade or next off-season). Those are the only 2 acceptable options.

 

Yoshi is no replacement for Tee, but he will be a great WR3 on this team eventually I think. 

[Jamie_B]

9 minutes ago, dex said:

Sure, But sometimes that's to their own detriment. Bates wanted to get traded after he realized that the Bengals weren't going to pay him close to market value, but the team said no. Eventually Bates reported to camp and had a good year, then signed his market value extension elsewhere. So the Bengals got one more year of Bates, but they don't even get a comp pick for him since Orlando Brown cancelled the loss of Bates out. So keeping Bates on a tag for one year of service rather than trading him for good draft capital didn't really pay off in terms of actual value.

 

All of that said, I think the Bengals will sign Higgins. They clearly value him more than they did Bates.

 

 

 

 

I think the team is more concerned about winning the SB than losing out on a trade from a guy. If we were not as close as we are, I think a trade (to include a tag and trade) might have been something on their radar, but I don't think they let Tee walk if we are this close, they will tag him and expect him to show up and play.

 

I hope they keep him around too, we shall see I guess. 

[dex]

8 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

 

 

I think the team is more concerned about winning the SB than losing out on a trade from a guy. If we were not as close as we are, I think a trade (to include a tag and trade) might have been something on their radar, but I don't think they let Tee walk if we are this close, they will tag him and expect him to show up and play.

 

I hope they keep him around too, we shall see I guess. 

I think the Bengals are trying to set themselves up to be good both now and for years to come. It is a balancing act that good organizations work very carefully. I certainly don't think the Chiefs felt like they were giving up a chance to win the Super Bowl  when they traded away Tyreek Hill for a ton of picks before the draft last year. More than one of those draft picks played a big part in their winning the Super Bowl last year. Hill had a great year for Miami last year, but the Dolphins didn't sniff the Super Bowl. If KC had a chance for a do-over, they wouldn't change a thing. And Hill was already 28 years old, Higgins is only 24. So if the Bengals don't want to trade Higgins, then they better sign his ass to an extension. 

[|High School Harry|]

10 minutes ago, dex said:

 they better sign his ass to an extension. 

True... I'm just getting impatient.

THEN sit down and crunch number and git er done with Joe.

[claptonrocks]

4 hours ago, High School Harry said:

I like this kid but I really hope they aren't grooming him as Tee's replacement. 

 

Dont think they are.

Another good depth piece.

[T-Dub]

I expected Tee was gone when they drafted Chase.  Can't spend half the cap in the WR room.

[claptonrocks]

1 hour ago, T-Dub said:

I expected Tee was gone when they drafted Chase.  Can't spend half the cap in the WR room.

I believe Katy stays up late

Pencil whips the books and. extend Tee..

 

 

[UncleEarl]

I’m not worried about them signing Higgins.  I expect the issue is up front/guaranteed money.  The Bengals have never done much of it before, but have admitted they will need to do it with Burrow.  Higgins agent is likely waiting to see how much up front money Burrow gets before signing. 

[Jackie Treehorn]

12 minutes ago, UncleEarl said:

I’m not worried about them signing Higgins.  I expect the issue is up front/guaranteed money.  The Bengals have never done much of it before, but have admitted they will need to do it with Burrow.  Higgins agent is likely waiting to see how much up front money Burrow gets before signing. 

 

They just gave Orland Brown Jr the largest signing bonus for an OL in league history. I don't think paying large guarantees will be the issue. 

[claptonrocks]

1 hour ago, UncleEarl said:

I’m not worried about them signing Higgins.  I expect the issue is up front/guaranteed money.  The Bengals have never done much of it before, but have admitted they will need to do it with Burrow.  Higgins agent is likely waiting to see how much up front money Burrow gets before signing. 

I would think Tee's agent would equate guaranteed to top 10-12 receivers recent siignings.

 

QBs and WRs never equate.

[I_C_Deadpeople]

5 hours ago, T-Dub said:

I expected Tee was gone when they drafted Chase.  Can't spend half the cap in the WR room.

In 3 years the cap is projected to be $280M - teams know this so you can extend guys now knowing there is room down the road for others. 

[UncleEarl]

31 minutes ago, claptonrocks said:

I would think Tee's agent would equate guaranteed to top 10-12 receivers recent siignings.

 

QBs and WRs never equate.

 

Percentage of guaranteed money can equate. 

[claptonrocks]

3 hours ago, UncleEarl said:

 

Percentage of guaranteed money can equate. 

True.

Tee at 90mil and JB at 265 to over 300 equates.

Bur JB getting much more.

We agree.

 

 

[IKOTA]

Agents are wanting a percentage of cap in future years as opposed to the traditional structure.  I don’t believe they will sign Higgins long term. He’s had a deal in place for some time now (this is why that Twitter guy zim started tweeting what he did) and we know the Bengals stick to their guns. Could he still be signed? Absolutely, but will require compromise from one or both sides. 
 

Iosivas absolutely is being looked at as a potential replacement. He’s the same type of player Tee is. If he continues his development at the current pace, he’ll be ready in 2 years IMO and be a much more affordable option. I’ve always said you can’t pay 2 WRs top end money along with the QB and still hope to field a SB caliber team.  This is why KC couldn’t and didn’t want to pay Tyreek. They were wise, calculating, and still won the SB. When you have a QB who will make what Burrow will make, you have to expect that QB to overcome some obstacles and challenges. Higgins leaving will be just that. 
 

 

[dex]

7 minutes ago, IKOTA said:

Agents are wanting a percentage of cap in future years as opposed to the traditional structure.  I don’t believe they will sign Higgins long term. He’s had a deal in place for some time now (this is why that Twitter guy zim started tweeting what he did) and we know the Bengals stick to their guns. Could he still be signed? Absolutely, but will require compromise from one or both sides. 
 

Iosivas absolutely is being looked at as a potential replacement. He’s the same type of player Tee is. If he continues his development at the current pace, he’ll be ready in 2 years IMO and be a much more affordable option. I’ve always said you can’t pay 2 WRs top end money along with the QB and still hope to field a SB caliber team.  This is why KC couldn’t and didn’t want to pay Tyreek. They were wise, calculating, and still won the SB. When you have a QB who will make what Burrow will make, you have to expect that QB to overcome some obstacles and challenges. Higgins leaving will be just that. 
 

 

I like Iosivas a lot and he could be a good receiver down the road, but based on past draft history to expect him to match the production of Higgins seems unlikely. Never in NFL history has a WR drafted in the 6th round gained a 1000 yards or more in a single season. Not once. Maybe Iosivas will one day become the first 6th round WR to ever do so...but I would feel much safer with Higgins signed long term. A healthy Higgins is guaranteed to gain 1000-plus yards every season.

[New Jersey Bengal]

6 minutes ago, dex said:

I like Iosivas a lot and he could be a good receiver down the road, but based on past draft history to expect him to match the production of Higgins seems unlikely. Never in NFL history has a WR drafted in the 6th round gained a 1000 yards or more in a single season. Not once. Maybe Iosivas will one day become the first 6th round WR to ever do so...but I would feel much safer with Higgins signed long term. A healthy Higgins is guaranteed to gain 1000-plus yards every season.

Houshmanzadeh was drafted in the 7th round and he gained over 1000 yards more than once

[dex]

4 minutes ago, New Jersey Bengal said:

Houshmanzadeh was drafted in the 7th round and he gained over 1000 yards more than once

Exception to the rule., but I didn't say 6th round or later...I just said 6th rounder. Hopefully Iosivas can become an excellent WR4 next year and beyond. The potential is there.

 

Since they didn't trade him before the draft when the return value was at its highest, the Bengals need to sign Higgins to an extension.