### **Slants and Screens**
No matter the status of Chase and Higgins, first-year wide receiver Dohnte Meyers is still going to get plenty of reps as he puts a stranglehold on the No. 3 spot after last Sunday's career day of seven catches for 82 yards.
And Taylor put the 5-11, 186-pound Meyers in some elite company when talking about his ability to make tacklers miss, a stat that he leads Next Gen Stats for NFL receivers with multiple catches.
"In terms of the make-miss burst to go get big plays, he's close to Ja'Marr as we've probably had. Ja'Marr's obviously top of the chain there in terms of any ball he catches, he can go to the house. And Dohnte, I think, is probably next in line with that ability." …
The Zac Era has never seen a shortage of receivers who can contribute from any spot on the depth chart or the practice squad. It began with the development of Auden Tate and Stanley Morgan Jr., in 2019, to Meyers, a CFL import, and Mitch Tinsley, who came off the bench last year for big catches and came from the Houston practice squad last Sunday for a career-high three catches and 49 yards.
"Start with Troy Walters. He does a great job developing these guys when their number's called," Taylor said of his seventh-year wide receiver coach. "I think our scouting department does a really good job. I think we've got a bunch of guys that see the pass game like we do and understand the things that we're looking for. So when they're adding practice squad guys like Tanner Hudson, like Trent Irwin, like the guys that we've added over time that have played for
us, think those guys have also stepped up. We brought the right character guys in here that understand what it's like. I think Joe (Burrow) does a really good job of fitting them in and getting friendly balls that they can gain some confidence. I think we've got a really good track record of developing those guys …
On Sunday, Drew Sample, dean of the Bengals with the most Cincy games currently played on the roster, becomes the 29th Bengal in the 27-season Paycor Stadium era to play in his 100th game …
Sample joins Reggie Kelly (106) as the only Bengals tight ends to play 100 games in this century. The all-time leaders are Rodney Holman (165), Tony McGee (136), and Ring of Honor member Bob Trumpy (128), Kelly, and former Bengals head coach Bruce Coslet (101) …