CINCINNATI -- Tyler Boyd has caught 513 passes with the Cincinnati Bengals. And one of his most memorable moments involved none of them.
In 2019, Boyd started cramping in the final seconds of a Week 16 game against the Miami Dolphins. Had Boyd stayed down and been unable to make it to the line of scrimmage, a mandatory 10-second run-off would have ended the game and Cincinnati's chances of a dramatic comeback.
So Boyd crawled along the turf, staggered to his feet and lined up in time for the Bengals to stop the clock and set up a game-tying touchdown and two-point conversion at the end of regulation.
The Bengals eventually lost in overtime, sealing their status as the NFL's worst team in 2019. But that play showed how valuable Boyd could be even without catching a touchdown pass. It's one of the ways he has displayed leadership during his Bengals tenure, which started when he was a second-round pick in 2016.
But that tenure could be ending soon. Boyd, 29, is set to enter free agency, leaving his future as a Bengal uncertain. But his impact on the franchise's turnaround is undisputed. Boyd had a major role in setting the foundation that transformed Cincinnati from the NFL's worst team to a championship contender.
It's one of the reasons why Bengals quarterback Jake Browning, whose locker is next to Boyd's, interrupted Boyd's final media scrum of the season.
"In the receiver room, obviously we've got a ton of talent there," said Browning, who started the final seven games of the season after Joe Burrow suffered a torn ligament in his right wrist. "But a big, unsung hero of the locker room. I hope he's back. But wherever he goes, someone's going to be lucky to have him."
Boyd entered the season as the longest-tenured player on the roster. His breakout moment came in the season finale in 2017, when he caught a game-winning touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens.
The former Pitt standout is one of four players -- along with running back Joe Mixon, defensive tackle Josh Tupou, defensive end Sam Hubbard -- who predated coach Zac Taylor's arrival in 2019.
As Taylor worked on changing the franchise and establishing a winning culture, Boyd played an integral role, from helping the coaching staff's message filter through the locker room to establishing an example for others, including young receivers Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase.
Two of Boyd's key traits, a great attitude and daily consistency, were important for building the culture that Taylor wanted to create.
"He's one of those guys, that through thick and thin, is always, 'Whatever you need from me coach,'" Taylor said in May 2023. "He's always been a great leader in the locker room. He's always been someone I've been able to go to and know that I'm going to get a truthful response back on how things are going."
When Boyd arrived, A.J. Green was still in the midst of his run as the team's No. 1 receiver. Boyd led the team in receiving in 2018 and 2019 as Green battled injuries. Once Cincinnati drafted Higgins in 2020 and Chase a year later, Boyd's role in the offense diminished significantly.
However, Boyd never expressed any frustration over a lack of targets. Instead, he showed the way forward for the two blossoming stars.
"With each one of those guys joining the team, his touches went down, and he kind of set the tone that it was not a 'I gotta get mine' type of receiver room," Browning said. "And I think that's an underrated part of the room in general."
In eight seasons, Boyd had 513 receptions, 6,000 yards and 31 touchdowns. At the peak of his career, he was known as one of the most sure-handed receivers in the league. Between 2020 and 2022, he had four total drops in the regular season, matching the same number he had in 2023.
With Burrow signed to a big extension and Chase and Higgins also eligible for new contracts, Boyd is among those who could be too pricey for a Bengals team trying to manage the salary cap.
In that case, Cincinnati will not only need to replace their starting slot receiver but also try to fill a massive leadership void.
The type of leadership that was on display against Miami in 2019.
"I was just willing to do anything I could to help the team win," Boyd said. "That's what showed on that tape."