Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins came close to shattering a franchise record in the final game of his first season.
Instead of surpassing Cris Collinsworth’s franchise record of 67 catches, Higgins re-aggravated a hamstring injury on his first catch that was then negated due to a penalty.
Interestingly, fellow wideout Tyler Boyd had warned Higgins about trying to play through the injury, according to ESPN’s Ben Baby.
There are layers to this one, of course. Boyd, a veteran and the team’s No. 1 receiver, would know whether or not it’s wise to test an injury.
But it also speaks volumes about Higgins, a rookie who wanted to go out there and fight in an otherwise meaningless game while also getting a shot at setting a franchise record.
It doesn’t sound like Higgins’ injury is a serious one and he’ll have plenty of time this offseason to get it right and better train for his second pro season. Based on his first-year results, he’s going to make the likely loss of A.J. Green on the field an afterthought.
