It sure feels like Tee Higgins is on the way to a much bigger role for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Higgins’ first pro catch was a dynamite connection with Joe Burrow. That happened during Thursday night’s loss to the Cleveland Browns.
And while Higgins only caught three of his six targets for 35 yards, he’s clearly in the plans and on the rise.
Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus pointed out that Higgins quietly ran the third-most routes of any Bengals wideout during the game:
“Tee Higgins (42 routes run) saw significantly more playing time than he did in Week 1 and came down with several catches, including a nice sideline grab on an even better throw by Burrow for his first career catch. His 42 routes run ranked third on the team behind Tyler Boyd (63) and Green (45).”
That’s a big deal considering he ran more routes than a first-round product like John Ross and helped make Auden Tate inactive outright — which might’ve stirred up some drama on the Tate trade front.
It’s a little easy to forget Higgins had a slow training camp while battling a minor injury. He’s also just a rookie trying to link up with another rookie. These things take time — but it’s clear Bengals coaches want to see what he’s got quickly.
With Tyler Boyd always reliable but A.J. Green struggling, Higgins might have a big game much sooner than some might’ve expected given how deep the team’s wideout depth chart seems.
