The Cincinnati Bengals’ receiving corps was expecting a big year in 2025 after the top three pass-catchers signed new contracts or extensions, but Joe Burrow’s toe injury shook things up, turnovers became an issue and things just didn’t go as planned.

Coming off a triple crown campaign and huge extension, Ja’Marr Chase had more targets than ever, and it didn’t translate into more production. It would have been tough to top his numbers from 2024 anyway, but Chase now says he is done writing down statistical goals on his mirror. Both he and Tee Higgins — who managed to stay healthy in the first year of his new deal but also saw a drop in his production — are just focused on winning championships.

For the Bengals to reach their goals, they’ll need the receivers to get back to the explosiveness that made them so hard to beat. Tight end Mike Gesicki, who also re-signed ahead of the 2025 season, is capable of more, and some competition at the No. 3 receiver spot could help Andrei Iosivas take the next step, while eyes are on rookie Colbie Young to see what he adds.

Let’s take a look at the past performances of the Bengals’ wide receivers and tight ends, and how they are expected to stack up in 2026 with help from some analysis and data from Pro Football Focus and other sites.

This is the third in a series of pieces breaking down each position group for the Bengals. Next up: Offensive line.

WIDE RECEIVERS ON THE ROSTER

Starters: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas

Reserves: Charlie Jones, Mitch Tinsley, Colbie Young

Others in the mix: Dohnte Meyers, Jordan Moore, Kendric Pryor, Xavier Johnson, Noah Thomas, Ke’Shawn Williams

CHASE BY THE NUMBERS

2025 stats: 1,412 yards, 8 TDs on 125 catches and 185 targets (11.3 yards per reception)

PFF grades for 2025: Chase ranked fourth of 81 qualifying wide receivers with a 90.1 overall grade. He was also fourth in receiving grade at 90.1.

PFF ranking for 2026: Chase was third of 32 wide receivers ranked by PFF going into 2025, but 2026 projections have not been released at time of publication. The site’s Fantasy projections rank him second, behind Puka Nacua.

HIGGINS BY THE NUMBERS

2025 stats: 846 yards, 11 TDs on 59 catches and 98 targets (14.3 yards per reception)

PFF grades for 2025: Higgins ranked 16th of 81 qualifying wide receivers with an overall grade of 80.1 and 17th in receiving grade at 80.2.

PFF ranking for 2026: Higgins was 14th of 32 wide receivers ranked by PFF going into 2025, but 2026 projections have not been released at time of publication. The site’s Fantasy projections rank him 18th.

IOSIVAS BY THE NUMBERS

2024 stats: 435 yards, 2 TDs on 33 catches and 58 targets (13.2 yards per catch)

PFF grades for 2025: Iosivas ranked 78th of 81 qualifying receivers with an overall grade of 53.7 and 79th with a receiving grade at 53.8.

PFF ranking for 2026: N/A

TIGHT ENDS ON THE ROSTER

Starter: Mike Gesicki

Backups: Erick All Jr.*, Tanner Hudson, Drew Sample

Other: Jack Endries, Cam Grandy, Josh Kattus

*Missed the 2025 season

GESICKI BY THE NUMBERS

2025 stats: 307 yards, 2 TDs on 28 catches and 42 targets (11.0 yards per reception)

PFF grades for 2025: Gesicki ranked 16th of 37 qualifying tight ends with an overall grade of 70.8 and ranked 17th with a receiving grade of 71.7.

PFF ranking for 2026: Gesicki was ranked as the 27th-best tight end in the league in 2025; PFF’s Fantasy projections rank him 29th.

FURTHER ANALYSIS

PFF hasn’t rolled out its wide receiver or tight end position group rankings yet, but ESPN listed the Bengals’ receivers, tight ends and running backs as the third-best playmaker group in the NFL. Most of that comes from the expectations for the receiving corps.

“The Bengals are the only team in the NFL that can credibly say it has two WR1-caliber talents anchoring the offense,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote. “In Ja'Marr Chase, the Bengals have a first-team All-Pro each of the past two seasons with an annual case to lead the league in any (or every) receiving category. Chase's big-play rate from 2024 inevitably regressed a little toward the mean in 2025, but there's no wide receiver in the NFL with a higher floor or ceiling.

“On a snap-by-snap basis, Tee Higgins has a solid case as a mid-tier WR1, particularly in the moments we've seen him without Chase on the field. Higgins has scored 21 touchdowns in 27 games over the past two seasons, and he ranked 11th in ESPN's receiver scores a year ago. The issue, frustratingly, is availability. Higgins missed five games in each of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, and while he was healthier in 2025, he was still sidelined for two contests. He hasn't played a full season since his rookie campaign in 2020. A 17-game season from Higgins would go a long way toward getting the 27-year-old back to the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive campaign.”

Barnwell also notes how Chase Brown’s role as a receiver has grown, while garnering 88 targets in 2025, but wasn’t as positive about the rest of the playmakers. He said Iosivas “has been one of the least efficient receivers in the league, even when one of the players ahead of him has been absent,” and knocked Gesicki for not being able to build on his “resurgent 2024 campaign.”

Iosivas had been an effective red-zone target in 2024 but struggled with drops last year and said he got in his own head after that. Gesicki missed four games due to injury and his production cut in half from his first season in Cincinnati. Both will be looking to get back on track in 2026.

The big wild card is Erick All Jr., who “quietly impressed early in his rookie season before missing the second half of 2024 and all of 2025 with a serious knee injury. Could the 25-year-old tight end be the player the Bengals need to make it to No. 1 on this list?” Cincinnati no longer has Noah Fant, who struggled with turnovers, and All is more than capable of filling that hole if he is healthy.

ESPN’s top 10 tight ends don’t include any Bengals. The Raiders’ Brock Bowers is No. 1 on that list.