Although former Clemson wide receiver Tee Higgins has had a strong first two seasons in the NFL — especially in 2021 when he recorded over 1,000 receiving yards and played a key role in the Cincinnati Bengals’ run to the Super Bowl — he might still be somewhat underappreciated or overlooked a bit on an offense with stars like quarterback Joe Burrow and fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated thinks Higgins is one player who doesn’t get as much credit as he deserves.
Orr recently named his pick for every AFC team’s most underrated player in 2022, and his selection for the Bengals was Higgins.
Here’s what Orr wrote about the former Clemson star and the Bengals’ 2020 second-round draft pick:
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.
Over the first two seasons of his NFL career, Higgins has tallied a total of 141 catches for 1,999 yards and 12 touchdowns.
–Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
