Tag: Tee Higgins

Is Tee Higgins playing today? Injury updates for Bengals WR

Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is dealing with a leg injury. Here are the latest updates.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins was a surprise late addition to the final injury report in Week 8 before kickoff against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Missing Higgins would be a major blow for the Bengals offense as they look to get back to .500, considering he was a key catalyst in the offense’s revival over the last few weeks — after he returned from a different injury.

Here’s the latest.

 

Tee Higgins injury update

  • Final Update: Tee Higgins will be inactive, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
  • Update: According to Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, “it doesn’t look good” for Higgins’ chances to play.
  • Higgins appeared on the injury report with a quad injury on Friday, throwing his status into doubt.
  • A report from ESPN’s Dan Graziano on Saturday night said there is “pessimism” around Higgins’ chances of playing.

 

How long will Tee Higgins be out?

Hard to say. Soft-tissue issues, usually the hamstrings, have chased him throughout his career. But the fact this popped on a Friday pretty much guarantees he’s on a snap count Sunday — and the week after could be in jeopardy too. No longer than four games though, otherwise he’d be on injured reserve.

 

Bengals WR depth chart

Ja’Marr Chase, Andrei Iosivas, Trenton Irwin, Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones

Iosivas and potentially the rookie Burton will be asked to step up if Higgins can’t go.

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Report: Bengals star WR Tee Higgins could miss matchup vs. Eagles in Week 8

Bengals star WR Tee Higgins could miss matchup vs. Eagles in Week 8

Cincinnati will host Philadelphia at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, and they are now likely to be without one of their top two wide receivers.

Dan Graziano reports that Tee Higgins suffered a quad injury in practice and is will probably miss the matchup.

Higgins has 29 receptions for 341 yards, and three touchdowns in five games played this season. His 5.8 receptions per game are a career-high, and his 68.2 yards per game is the highest since 2021.

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Tee Higgins addresses Bengals trade speculation

Yes, Bengals WR Tee Higgins sees all the trade rumors and speculation.

As expected, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins has constantly come up in speculation as the NFL’s trade deadline looms closer.

No credible reporting has come out suggesting teams have called the Bengals about Higgins or that the team would ever consider it — they aren’t trading the franchise-tagged star for anything.

Yet that hasn’t stopped the endless onslaught of noise around Higgins in the speculation department.

Asked about whether he pays attention to trade rumors and speculation on “Up & Adams,” Higgins responded about how fans would expect.

“I’m locked in with the guys and ready to keep it pushing,”  Higgins said. “Let’s hope we don’t lose and none of that will have to come up. That way we don’t have to worry about anything like that. Obviously, I heard it the last few weeks when my name’s come up in the trade talks, but I just in one ear and out the other.”

This tracks with how Higgins has handled everything from Day 1. He signed the franchise tag earlier than expected this summer to shut down noise, then reported to training camp without a holdout. He’s blatantly been playing 100 percent when healthy despite the lack of long-term security.

Unfortunately for Higgins, one of the reasons his name comes up in trade speculation is because it seems obvious the Bengals won’t be able to keep him and Ja’Marr Chase on big contracts.

And unfortunately for Higgins, his injury woes play a part in that — he was just a surprise addition to the injury report before Week 8 after already missing games this season.

The Bengals won’t trade Higgins, but he is right — if the team can keep winning, it will quiet some of the noise. Losing gives analysts an excuse to suggest the Bengals might be sellers (they won’t, fans know better).

Winning, as they say, cures all. Or at least most.

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Darius Slay had an interesting answer when asked to rank the Bengals’ WR duo

Darius Slay says the Cincinnati Bengals WR duo is top two in the NFL behind the Philadelphia Eagles

The Bengals and Eagles are set for a Sunday meeting featuring dynamic wide receiver duos on both teams. Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase will break records in Cincinnati, and A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith will do the same for Philadelphia.

Eagles cornerback Darius Slay praised the duo, calling them the top two in the NFL, but of course, they weren’t the No. 1 team on the list.

Higgins has 29 catches, for 341 yards (11.8 avg), and three touchdowns on the season, while Chase is first in the NFL, with 39 catches, for 620 yards (15.9 avg), and six touchdowns.

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Tee Higgins a late, surprise addition to final Bengals injury report

A new injury update for the Bengals in Week 8 vs. Eagles.

The focus for the Cincinnati Bengals final injury report all before the Week 8 game against the Philadelphia Eagles focused on the health of Orlando Brown Jr. in front of Joe Burrow.

Tee Higgins, star wide receiver, entered the conversation on the final report.

In fact, Higgins is the only name listed on Cincinnati’s final injury report. Higgins suffered a quad injury and was limited in practice on  Friday, with the team needing to list him as questionable for the game against the Eagles.

While the team will monitor Higgins’ status over the weekend, losing him would be a crushing blow for Burrow’s offense. The franchise-tagged wideout has appeared in just five games this season but has been the obvious catalyst for the unit turning things around over the last few weeks.

If Higgins can’t go, Andrei Iosivas and rookie Jermaine Burton would be asked to pick up some of the slack alongside Ja’Marr Chase.

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Bengals star WR questionable for game vs. Eagles after suffering a quad injury

Bengals star wide receiver Tee Higgins is questionable for Sunday’s game vs. the Eagles after suffering a quad injury

Cincinnati will host Philadelphia at Paycor Stadium on Sunday, and they could be without one of their top two wide receivers.

Tom Pelissero reports that Tee Higgins suffered a quad injury in practice and is listed as questionable for the matchup.

Higgins has 29 receptions for 341 yards, and three touchdowns in five games played this season. His 5.8 receptions per game are a career-high, and his 68.2 yards per game is the highest since 2021.

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5 star wide receivers Broncos should target before NFL trade deadline

The Broncos should consider adding a high-profile wide receiver to give Bo Nix another weapon in the second half of the QB’s rookie season.

With the NFL trade deadline (Nov. 5) now less than two weeks away, the Denver Broncos should consider giving a boost to the offensive by bringing in some playmakers to give rookie quarterback Bo Nix more weapons.

Yesterday, we listed five tight ends the Broncos could target leading up to the deadline. Today, we have a quick list of five wide receivers for Denver to consider.

Courtland Sutton is the clear WR1, but behind him, the Broncos have unproven youngsters, a journeyman in Lil’Jordan Humphrey and a currently injured veteran in Josh Reynolds. Denver could use a big threat at the position to complement Sutton in Sean Payton’s offense.

WRs Broncos should target before NFL trade deadline

1. WR Cooper Kupp, Rams: Yes, he’s 31 and has some injury concerns, but Kupp can still play at a high level. The Broncos do not have a dynamic slot receiver and Kupp could instantly become a favorite target for Nix. L.A. wants a second-round pick, but it remains to be seen if teams would pay that much for Kupp.

2. WR Tee Higgins, Bengals: Higgins has been a popular name in trade speculation leading up to the deadline. The 25-year-old receiver has totaled 29 receptions for 341 yards and three touchdowns through five games — those totals would lead the Broncos in all three categories this season.

3. WR Diontae Johnson, Panthers: Carolina probably wouldn’t trade Johnson (28) to Denver right before playing against the Broncos, but the team should check in on the WR’s status next week. The Panthers are 1-6 and might be willing to acquire more draft capital in exchange for a talented receiver playing in a bad offense.

4. WR Christian Kirk, Jaguars: Brian Thomas is having a breakout rookie season in Jacksonville, which might make Kirk (27) expendable. He’s two years removed from a 1,000-yard, eight-touchdown season and has 25 receptions for 320 yards and one score through seven games this fall.

5. WR DeAndre Hopkins, Titans: “Nuk” would instantly draw attention away from Sutton and other WRs in Denver’s offense. The 1-5 Titans would probably be willing to part with a 32-year-old Hopkins, who still has gas left in the tank in his 12th season. Update: The Titans are trading DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs.

Bonus: Another name to keep an eye on is Mike Williams (30), who has become expendable for the Jets after they brought in Davante Adams last week.

The NFL trade deadline is 2 p.m. MT (4 p.m. ET) on Tuesday, Nov. 5.

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An ‘absurd’ blockbuster trade idea has Bengals sending Tee Higgins to Bills

The NFL trade deadline speculation continues to feature a heavy dose of Tee Higgins.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins continues to see his name come up in speculation around the upcoming NFL trade deadline.

Keyword: Speculation.

Higgins is a hot name to throw out in trade ideas because he’s playing this year on the franchise tag, and the Bengals don’t appear able to stop him from going to free agency next summer and leaving, not while needing to pay up on Ja’Marr Chase’s extension.

Case in point, an “absurd” trade idea from Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon, who suggests the Bengals ship Higgins to the Buffalo Bills:

“Higgins would command at least a third-round selection, given that Cincy may receive a compensatory pick for him anyway. Add a condition that him signing an extension with Buffalo makes it a second-rounder—and the Bills have an extra one because of the Stefon Diggs deal—and the details might actually sound reasonable.”

The Bills have since gone on to trade for Amari Cooper in real life, not hypotheticals, but the theme here remains the same — just get used to seeing Higgins’ name in speculation.

The Bengals would never trade Higgins to an AFC contender, of course. And the team might balk at the idea of even a first-round pick in exchange.

While the Bengals front office has dramatically messed up the Chase situation in a way that will hurt for years, it wouldn’t jump to trade Higgins when hope remains that they could still retain him beyond this year. If nothing else, it’s painfully obvious just how much better the offense looks when he’s on the field.

None of that means Higgins actually stays beyond this season, but he’s certainly not getting traded, either.

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Bengals accused of making one of NFL’s biggest backfiring decisions

And this criticism of the Bengals is rightfully deserved.

The Cincinnati Bengals have made many mistakes in recent years, with losing key talent like Jessie Bates and DJ Reader blatantly backfiring on the field as we speak.

But the biggest mistake might still be unfolding and have even bigger ramifications for years down the road.

The mistake, of course, is not getting Ja’Marr Chase’s contract extension done this past offseason and letting the saga seep into the regular season.

Rightfully, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox just listed Cincinnati’s failure to pay Chase early as one of the top still-backfiring mistakes across the entire NFL:

While we’re unlikely to see another receiver top Jefferson’s deal between now and next offseason, we’re likely to see Chase gain even more leverage in contract negotiations.

The Bengals balking at Chase’s contract demands and not getting something done due to guarantees and structure of payouts was downright silly. While the team can use the threat of the franchise tag and such as leverage, kicking the can down the road to next offseason will cost the team even more as the market keeps increasing and he keeps playing like the best receiver in football.

Given how downright awful the defense looks right now, it’s clear the team will need to pour some money into it this offseason (and Trey Hendrickson already wants a new deal too, remember?). But the Bengals will have limited ability to put money into the defense if so much will have to go toward Chase’s extension.

Hence…the Bengals should have used the unexpected early window to get the Chase extension out of the way. It’s probably especially frustrating for fans because — on paper — the team didn’t pay Bates or Reader so that it could pay Joe Burrow, then Chase and potentially Tee Higgins, too. So far, the Bengals have done neither at wideout and the defense has suffered, with no relief on the way because so much money will need to go to Chase next summer.

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NFL expert wants to see Bengals trade Tee Higgins to Commanders

The Bengals would be smart to send Tee Higgins to the Commanders, according to one expert.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is going to keep coming up in trade speculation ahead of the deadline no matter what transpires on the field before November 5.

After all, Higgins got hit with the franchise tag and is presumed to be leaving via free agency next summer. Even if the Bengals were 4-1 instead of 1-4, his name would come up because, well, it’s buzzworthy.

Case in point, ESPN’s Ben Solak recently wrote that he would like to see Higgins traded to the Washington Commanders. That idea makes sense for Washington’s side: Jayden Daniels is a breakout rookie quarterback, and getting him a true No. 1 with the ample cap space would be fun for them.

Perhaps more interesting is Solak’s very accurate assessment of the problems the Bengals face now:

“But if that doesn’t happen, then the Bengals have to get serious about where they are in the life cycle of their team-building. The Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill away, and the Bills traded Stefon Diggs; when your star rookie-contract quarterback starts to hit the cap, sometimes you need him to make do with fewer expensive veteran pass catchers. Those were older players than Higgins, but if Cincinnati isn’t willing to pay him (just as the Commanders were not willing to pay Montez Sweat, the Giants were not willing to pay Leonard Williams and the Bears were not willing to pay Roquan Smith), then it has to trade him while the trading’s still good.”

The Bengals are almost 100 percent unlikely to trade Higgins. He’s been a model pro about the whole contract thing, is super talented and although slim, there’s always a chance the front office figures out a way to keep him and Ja’Marr Chase long-term — something that might be a good idea given how much Chase feasts when Higgins is on the field.

But if they hit 1-6 or so, it would behoove them to at least do due diligence, too, because it is pretty clear the roster construction on the defensive side of the ball has been grossly mishandled.

Higgins’ name power and the harsh reality of a 1-4 start will keep this conversation alive with more power than it would have had otherwise.

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