After expressing initial interest, should the Lions sign free agent WR Tyler Boyd?

The Detroit Lions are reportedly one of at least five teams who have expressed interest in free agent wide Receiver Tyler Boyd, per The Athletic. The 30-year-old receiver is unlikely to return to a very crowded wide receiver room in Cincinnati, where the Bengals will prioritize retaining their younger wide receiver duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Boyd, on the other hand, appears to be ending an eight-year tenure in Cincinnati, a stretch in which he was consistently productive in spite of many up-and-down years by the team.

Boyd has a somewhat similar profile to Josh Reynolds, both in build and in play style. He’s dynamic enough to play both inside and out, and really stretches the field over the middle with some solid hands. It makes sense that after Reynolds has signed with the Denver Broncos in free agency, the Lions are now tied to Boyd.

Question of the day: Should the Lions sign free agent wide receiver Tyler Boyd?

My answer: of course, it depends on the price, so let’s talk numbers.

Per our sister site in Cincinnati, Cincy Jungle, PFF has projected Boyd’s free agent contract numbers at two years, $17.5 million, or $8.75 million annually, with $10.5 million guaranteed.

At that number, I’m afraid I’ll have to say no. While the contract structure would fit Brad Holmes’ short-to-medium-term signing tendency, the price is a little steep for a guy who’s a year older than Reynolds and comes to Detroit without the same chemistry with Jared Goff. On the flip side, Boyd’s reduced statistical production is moreso the product of more mouths to feed in Cincinnati than a decline in his performance from the once-higher end WR2 or lower-end WR1 that he was.

The biggest question mark for me is what role Boyd would play in Detroit. Obviously, Amon-Ra St. Brown is the clear WR1. However, the coaching staff has spend the better part of the last six months talking about how they expect Jameson Williams to grow into a larger role on offense. We saw at the end of the season that it meant a lot more intermediate routes and touches down the sideline, similar to what Reynolds often offered. That could eat into the target share void left by Reynolds’ departure, which would make it even less justified to sign Boyd at that price.

Given that we’re almost a month into free agency and Boyd is still on the market, though, there’s reason to believe that he could be had at a number lower than PFF’s projections. If Boyd were available at, say, $11-13 million over two years with somewhere closer to $8 million guaranteed, I’d be a lot more eager to see him in the Honolulu blue and silver.

What do you think? Should the Lions sign free agent WR Tyler Boyd at his PFF projected price? If not, what price would you be okay with signing him at? Vote below and let us know in the comments.