Colbie Young didn’t get the first touchdown ball of his NFL career on Sunday, but he did walk away with his first catch - a 7-yard grab in the Bengals’ 20-6 win over the Texans.
“I didn’t keep the catch ball,” he said, talking about the one he hauled in in the first quarter.
“When the touchdown comes, I’ll definitely keep that one,” he added.
That next milestone may be closer than it looked a few days ago. On Wednesday, Cincinnati put wide receiver Andrei Iosivas on Injured Reserve after he had surgery to repair ligament damage in one of his fingers. Iosivas will miss at least three games, and Zac Taylor said the issue is expected to be weeks, not something that ends his season.
With Iosivas out, the Bengals are expected to lean on Young and Dohnte Meyers, the CFL import who emerged as one of training camp’s best stories. Iosivas had been a steady part of the offense in the first two weeks, playing 39 snaps, or 61 percent, against Tampa Bay and 32 snaps, or 53 percent, at Houston. He finished those two games with three catches for 19 yards, though Joe Burrow made clear that his impact went well beyond the box score.
“Andrei did a lot for us,” Burrow said. “In the run game, he was dependable, really good third receiver, so you can't just replace him with one guy. It'll be by committee for sure.”
Cincinnati could also bring tight end Tanner Hudson up from the practice squad to fill the open roster spot. Another possible piece of the puzzle is Mike Gesicki, who could end up handling more of Iosivas’ slot snaps.
“Several guys can step up, whether it's in the receiver room, tight end room,” Taylor said. “There's a lot of ways we're going to fulfill that, but we have guys that will step up. They're going to be given more opportunity, and (we) expect those guys to step up and fill those shoes.”
Young has been easing in so far, logging nine snaps against the Buccaneers and 10 more in Houston. If he or Meyers finds the end zone Sunday against the Steelers, either would become the 18th player in Bengals history to catch a touchdown pass in one of the first three games of his first season.
For Young, the focus is simpler than any milestone. He wants Burrow to trust him, and he wants to earn that trust by being in the right place every time.
“I feel like he trusts me, and I trust him,” Young said. “I feel like we’re gonna be on a roll. I’ve been preparing my whole career so far, so I’m ready to go work.”
Young said he didn’t learn about Iosivas’ injury until Wednesday and sent him a text wishing him a speedy recovery. He also knows exactly what Cincinnati is losing in Iosivas.
“It’s so unfortunate that he goes down like that with the role he had in this offense,” Young added. “I just want to be where I need to be, show up every day, eliminate MAs (missed assignments) and know the offense like (Iosivas) does.”
Iosivas is now in his fourth season working with Burrow and in the Bengals offense, so replacing him will take more than simply plugging in one player. Burrow said the answer will come through communication and a shared understanding of every package Cincinnati uses.
“We have a lot of different personnel packages, so there will be constant communication in the huddle about what position a guys is, what route does he have, what’s his responsibility on this play?” Burrow said. “We’ll talk through a lot of different situations in practice that will come up more so than with ‘Yosh’ because we have a lot of reps banked with each other.
“But those guys are smart, capable and have some unique skill sets at that position. There’s a lot of different things we can do with those guys.”
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