For most of Andrei Iosivas’ NFL career, there has been something to prove: Prove that a wide receiver from Princeton could play in the NFL; prove that a sixth-round draft pick belonged on the field with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins; and prove that his rare combination of size and athleticism could translate into production against NFL defensive backs.
Three years into his career with the Cincinnati Bengals, Iosivas doesn’t sound particularly interested in proving anything anymore. And that may be the best indication yet of how far he’s come.
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“I just feel like I am flowing and I am playing,” Iosivas said in a recent interview. “I’m happy about the way I approach the days. I’ve been focusing on how I walk into the building, how I get out to practice, and whatever happens, happens.”
That’s quite a change from the player Cincinnati selected with the 206th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Iosivas arrived in Cincinnati as one of the more intriguing developmental prospects in that draft class. At 6-foot-3 and around 210 pounds, he had the physical traits, but he was making the jump from Ivy League football at Princeton to an offense featuring Joe Burrow, Chase and Higgins.
He has spent the past three seasons showing that he belongs. Iosivas played in 16 games as a rookie and caught 15 passes for 116 yards. Four of those 15 receptions went for touchdowns. His role grew substantially in 2024, when he caught 36 passes for 479 yards and six touchdowns. He followed that with 33 receptions for 435 yards and two scores in 2025.
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Add it all together, and Iosivas enters his fourth season with 84 receptions for 1,030 yards and 12 touchdowns. In short, he has become a regular part of Cincinnati’s offense, and his attitude appears to have evolved along with his game.
“I feel like I’ve put out enough film and even in practice now,” Iosivas said. “I know who I am. I’m not excited to prove it to anybody else.”
There is an important distinction there. Iosivas isn’t saying he has nothing left to accomplish. He’s saying he no longer needs outside validation to tell him whether he belongs. And that confidence could be particularly important this summer. While Chase and Higgins remain firmly entrenched at the top of Cincinnati’s receiver room, things are getting interesting behind them.
Rookie fourth-round pick Colbie Young showed some of his potential in Cincinnati’s preseason opener against the Detroit Lions, catching two passes for 28 yards. Former CFL receiver Dohnte Meyers has also generated attention throughout training camp and continued to make his case against Detroit.
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Iosivas doesn’t sound like someone spending much time looking over his shoulder, though. Instead, he’s concentrating on himself.
“I think a lot of guys in here, we just all make each other better, so it’s been really fun,” Iosivas said. “It’s a good group of guys, and you’ve just got to do you. Run your route, make the play, do whatever you need to do.”
And that may be exactly what the Bengals need from him.
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