The Bengals Best Tradition Is In Jeopardy
Credit: Sam Greene via Imagn Images
As any proud member of the Cincinnati Bengals fanbase has come to realize, this is a team of tradition. These aren’t always the best traditions — the three-decade-long tradition of losing in the first round of the playoffs (when they get there, that is) gets old, for example. But we’ve also found ourselves with newfound traditions in recent years, like finding great players late in the draft only to have them go on to play big roles in other team’s successes.
So, sure, a bunch of these traditions are bummers. But the one consistently great tradition in Cincinnati has been the near-constant presence of elite wide receiver duos. Dating back to 1988, Eddie Brown had Tim McGee, Carl Pickens had Darnay Scott, Chad Johnson had T.J. Houshmandzadeh, A.J. Green had Marvin Jones, and now Ja’Marr Chase has Tee Higgins. The 1-2 punch at wideout has been a success for them on the field and perhaps just as importantly, at the draft table. Besides McGee (who came over from Washington), the Bengals found all these WR2s in the draft, outside of the first round.
The Bengals have had a knack for finding a great Robin for their WR versions of Batman. But as much as it pains me to say this, this one constant in Bengals franchise history is in jeopardy, and it doesn’t get talked about nearly enough. We might be mere months away from it ending.
I have been very outspoken about my belief that the Bengals must do whatever they have to to bring Higgins back next season. After the mismanagement of his contract negotiations last season, to their using the dreaded franchise tag on him in the offseason, I believe the writing is on the wall for him to be in a different uniform next season. And no, Higgins’ injuries aren’t going to lead to the Bengals getting a discount. If you truly think he’s hurt and not just being cautious ahead of free agency, inquire within for my free seminar about owning time-shared beachside property on the Ohio River.
The front office has dragged their feet and dropped the ball on both Chase’s and Higgins’ contracts and because of the delay, they will more than likely lose Higgins. The wide receiver contract market has been reset, and Higgins’ value is higher than ever.
🚨REPORT: There is little to no chance WR Tee Higgins stays with the #Bengals in 2025; he’s expected to leave in free agency this offseason.
At just 25, Higgins is expected to draw significant interest from many teams, with an AAV nearing $30M.
(ESPN first reported) pic.twitter.com/YBK3KDk7xx
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) November 13, 2024
On the bright side, it appears that the money is there for Cincinnati to extend Chase, but given that he’s a possible Triple Crown winner this season, his value gets higher every week. Why let him rack up video game numbers in a contract year without getting a deal done? Yeah, I don’t get it either.
The Cincinnati Bengals really botched this Ja’Marr Chase contract situation. He’s getting more & more expensive each week.
If it’s a franchise centerpiece, like Chase undoubtedly is, I’ll never understand the hesitation to pay them. He’s a Top 2 WR in the NFL.
— Hunter Haas (@Haas_Football) November 18, 2024
If Chase is back and Higgins isn’t, the issue and concern becomes: Who is going to step up and be the No. 2 option for the Bengals next season? History has shown us that it’s not going to be a tight end. Mike Gesicki has been the most productive pass-catcher through 11 games for any Bengal not named Chase and Higgins, and he’s only averaging 34.8 yards per game. Gesicki has also been all but invisible in most games, as the Bengals have never had an offensive playbook that has ever showcased a tight end.
At the beginning of the season, there was a little buzz around Andrei Iosivas, but since Week 3 in Washington, he has not had over five catches or 50 yards in a game and he’s only found the end zone once.
Now let’s look at Jermaine Burton, who had all the signs of being the player to fill Higgins’ shoes coming into this season. The Bengals found him still on the draft board with the 80th pick and scooped him up. Even aside from the off-the-field and team meeting issues, this year has been a nightmare for him. Burton has yet to have a two-reception game after receiving high praise from Joe Burrow. Burton has shown absolutely no promise to step up into Higgins’ shoes this season. He might be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer if “giving up on your route” was a key statistic.
Joe Burrow throws this ball like he expects Jermaine Burton to keep expanding and hauling ass down the field. Instead Burton slows up to track the ball and drifts back inside. Perfect ball; WR error pic.twitter.com/99V2kNGcR4
— Derrik Klassen (@QBKlass) November 20, 2024
So, as you can see, “Cincy, we have a problem!” This season has been an open invite to these two young receivers to step up and show that they’re ready to become a part of a grand Bengals tradition. To say that both these players have disappointed is an understatement.
Sure, the free agent market has an upcoming WR class that will likely include Gabriel Davis and Calvin Ridley, who could fill that role. But as mentioned earlier, the Bengals are a team of tradition, and one of those is not signing sought-after free agents.
Fortunately, it looks like the Bengals somehow might end up with a Top-10 pick in next year’s draft, where they could land a player like Tetairoa McMillan or Luther Burden III. But if they do land such a pick, is wide receiver the position the Bengals should want to address with such an asset? There are just so many other needs to address, mainly on the defensive side of the ball.
At this point, there might not be an ideal situation for this pending problem. Whatever the best one is, however, these first 11 games tell me that it isn’t someone on the Bengals’ current roster. That is, unless we organize some sort of GoFundMe to foot the bill to keep Higgins in the Orange and Black. Who’s with me?
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