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A buzzword those in the media like to throw around when talking about teams is “X-factor”, that player that might seem quiet but can break out at any moment and be a key reason in a team’s success.
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated went through and named his pick for each AFC team’s most underrated player. His pick for the Cincinnati Bengals? WR Tee Higgins.
This one makes sense. While all the focus is on Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd, and for good reason, Higgins is still brimming with potential and can pop at almost any given moment when given the opportunity:
“It was fun to look back on the beginning of the Bengals’ season to see how defenses played Ja’Marr Chase before they knew he was Ja’Marr Chase. His first career catch against the Vikings and his first touchdown of the season, also against the Vikings, showed how much respect Higgins earned from the defense. Cincinnati was able to work certain high-low concepts and vertical concepts that forced good defenders to choose between Higgins and Chase. The fact that it was a tough decision is a complement to the Clemson wideout and former second-round pick. Chase’s arrival onto the scene was incredible, but that foundation was laid years ago, with some solid drafting to piece together a worthwhile core around him. Though Chase had one of the best completion percentages above expectation last year, Higgins wasn’t too shabby either, hauling in 1.1% above what was reasonably expected of him. All of this makes Joe Burrow better.”
Now that all three receivers have had a year to work together, it is going to be a lot of fun to watch how they build in 2022, particularly Higgins, who may end up surprising a lot of people in 2022.
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