Free agent receiver Tyler Boyd reportedly on Patriots' radar

FOXBORO -- The Patriots missed out on signing free agent receiver Calvin Ridley, who picked the Tennessee Titans over joining New England or returning to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Eliot Wolf will now have to turn elsewhere to try to "weaponize" the Patriots' offense, and he may turn to a Cincinnati Bengals receiver to do so.  

No, it's not Tee Higgins, who reportedly wants out of Cincinnati after the Bengals slapped him with the franchise tag this offseason. According to MassLive's Mark Daniels, the Patriots have reportedly shown interest in receiver Tyler Boyd, who is a free agent after spending the first eight seasons of his NFL career with Cincinnati.

The 29-year-old Boyd is coming off a 67-catch season for the Bengals where he racked up 667 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was his lowest output since 2017 -- his second season in the NFL -- when he played just 10 games. Some of that can be chalked up to Joe Burrow's health throughout the year, as Boyd has been a pretty solid slot receiver throughout his career.

A second-round pick in 2016, Boyd's best seasons came in 2018 and 2019, when he had 76 and 90 receptions, respectively, and logged back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. He caught 13 touchdowns over those two seasons, and has found the end zone 31 times in his 120 career regular season games.  

Daniels notes that the Patriots are likely just doing their "due diligence" on Boyd, and according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the most interested in his services. The Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets (considered a "dark horse") are also in the mix, according to Kaboly.

It will be interesting to see if New England's level of interest kicks up in the near future, or if the team really has turned its attention to receivers available in the NFL Draft.