Are We Ready To Re-Think the Tee Higgins Dilemma?
Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Sometimes, everyone needs to say: “Ok, fine, I admit, I was wrong.” This has happened many times in my life as a Cincinnati Bengals fan, especially the time when I was beyond angry about them selecting Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell. I thought it was their worst draft pick in years, and I thought for sure his college connection with Joe Burrow wasn’t going to carry over into the NFL without an offensive line to protect the QB.
Oops. Chase went on to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Bengals went to the Super Bowl. So, like I said I admit I was wrong.
(Though, Burrow was sacked a league-high 51 times that year, so I’ll give myself a little bit of credit for being a tiny bit right.)
With the Bengals beginning to show some promise this season (fingers crossed), it might be time again for me to admit I was wrong and gladly eat another serving of crow. A common idea amongst Who Dey Nation was that the boys in stripes should soak in this final season with Tee Higgins under contract and then let him ride off into the sunset. I am one of those fans.
At least, I was. I’ll say it again: I admit I was wrong. It’s no coincidence that since Tee Higgins’ return, the Bengals have a winning record. Right now, the offense is running through No. 5.
Now, I know what some of you are saying. Justin, Cincinnati still needs to pay Ja’Marr and other players on the team! Couldn’t agree more, except that Higgins is “other players on the team.” Some will argue the recipe for success is to have a veteran wide receiver and a wide receiver on a rookie contract. Others might insist that if Joey B is truly an elite QB, he doesn’t need two WR1s, and that he should be able to make anybody a threat.
To those who say that Chase makes Higgins irrelevant, here’s Exhibit A: Without Higgins this season, Chase averaged five receptions for 45 yards a game and zero touchdowns. That’s a horrible average for a wide receiver who has Chase’s skill set and deep-ball ability. Once Higgins returned from injury to take some pressure off of Chase, voila! Chase is now averaging six catches for 105 yards a game, has seen the end zone four times, and is the NFL’s leader in receiving yards during that timeframe. The Bengals have Chase on one sideline and Higgins, who is averaging 6 catches for 70 yards, over the middle. It’s a winning recipe.
But the Bengals have players on the defensive side of the ball that need to be signed, too! Really, now? Unless their name is Trey Hendrickson, save it. Also, Hendrickson is locked up for another season. As for everyone else, Cincinnati is currently allowing a dreadful 353 yards per game, to go with 20 touchdowns on the season. Absolutely awful.
Since the Washington Commanders game, Burrow has been in the mindset that he has to score every possession and keep the pedal floored his squad to get the W. The defense is truly doing him no favors, even if they looked a little better against Daniel Jones and Deshaun Watson.
Higgins’ presence is also having an impact on the backfield. During Higgins’ absence, the duo of Chase Brown and Zack Moss had a combined 6 catches for 42 yards. That’s an average of 3 catches for 21 yards. Since the star receiver’s return, Brown and Moss have racked up 27 catches for 176 yards, an average of 5.5 catches for 35 yards per game. Even more importantly, they’ve been a first-down threat on every passing play.
Sire, I know the Bengals are going to have to get creative on their contracts with guaranteed money and probably let a few players walk to fit Higgins on the roster. That’s a move they have to make, though. The winning recipe clearly includes Higgins, and the proof is in the stats and scoreboard.
So while some of you may say the worst fumble this year for the Bengals was Drew Sample’s goal-line spill in Week 1, and others may point to Burrow’s fumble against the Kansas City Chiefs that was scooped for a defensive touchdown, I’d argue it was the front office not getting Higgins contract solidified in the offseason. The wide receiver market has been reset and he is going to watch Ja’Marr “get the bag” and in hindsight, Higgins will know he deserves the bag, too.
There’s no “one size fits all” for success in the NFL. The Chiefs are undefeated and have no stud receivers and Mr. Swift is just a ghost of himself, but they now have an amazing defense that’s playing great despite Mahomes having his worst statistical season. With the Bengals sporting a horrible defense, they need to stack the offensive side of the ball as much as they can to stay in games, and Higgins is allowing the team to do just that.
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