Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase went through a pregame workout under the watchful eyes of strength and conditioning coach Joey Boese and head trainer Matt Summers about two and a half hours before kickoff, and he appears to be good to go for today’s game against the Houston Texans.
After running routes on air and going through other agility and stress tests that are not part of his normal routine, Chase had a quick meeting with head coach Zac Taylor and proceeded to move on to his regular pregame routine of catching tennis balls fired at a short distance from wide receivers coach Troy Walters.
There is a chance Chase will have a more limited role and could be mostly a decoy when he is in the game, but he looks set to suit up and play.
The same is not the same, of course, for fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins, who will miss his second game of the season. And the Bengals are hoping to offset his absence the same way they did the first time.
Higgins suffered a hamstring injury in practice Wednesday and was ruled out Friday. The last game he missed was due to a fractured rib in Week 5 at Arizona, a game the Bengals won 34-20 to start their current four-game winning streak.
MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart
The team elevated wide receivers Stanley Morgan and Shedrick Jackson on Saturday. It’s the second game-day elevation for Morgan, who most likely will see the bulk of his action on special teams. Jackson is the more intriguing receiver. A rookie undrafted free agent out of Auburn and the nephew of Bo Jackson, Shedrick Jackson played well in the preseason.
Even if Chase is limited, the bulk of his snaps will go to rookie Andrei Iosivas and Trenton Irwin, but Jackson could make his NFL debut at some point.
The Bengals also will be without starting defensive end Sam Hubbard, creating an opportunity for rookie first-round pick Myles Murphy to see his most extensive action of the season.
Who Are the Inactives for Cincinnati Bengals vs. Houston Texans?
Cincinnati Bengals
- WR Tee Higgins
- DE Sam Hubbard
- LB Devin Harper
- OL Trey Hill
- DT Josh Tupou
- OL Jackson Carman
Houston Texans
- FB Andrew Beck
- WR Nico Collins
- LB Jake Hansen
- TE Brevin Jordan
- RB Dameon Pierce
- LB Henry To’oTo’o
- S Jimmie Ward
Bengals/Texans Injury Report
Houston Texans
Out
- FB Andrew Beck
- WR Nico Collins
- LB Jake Hansen
- TE Brevin Jordan
- RB Dameon Pierce
- LB Henry To’oTo’o
- S Jimmie Ward
- K Ka’imi Fairburn
Questionable
- DL Jerry Hughes
- CB Steven Nelson
- WR Robert Woods
Cincinnati Bengals
Out
- WR Tee Higgins
- DE Sam Hubbard
Questionable
- WR Ja’Marr Chase
What Are the Starting Lineups for Each Team?
Houston Texans
- Quarterback: C.J. Stroud
- Wide Receiver: Tank Dell, Robert Woods, Noah Brown
- Running Back: Devin Singletary
- Tight End: Dalton Schultz
- Offensive Line (Left to Right): Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard, Michael Deiter, Shaq Mason, George Fant
- Defensive Line: Will Anderson Jr., Maliek Collins, Sheldon Rankins, Jonathan Greenard
- Linebacker: Christian Harris, Denzel Perryman, Blake Cashman
- Defensive Backs: Steve Nelson, Derek Stingley Jr., Grayland Arnold, Jalen Pitre
Cincinnati Bengals
- Quarterback: Joe Burrow
- Wide Receiver: Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, Trenton Irwin
- Running Back: Joe Mixon
- Tight End: Irv Smith Jr.
- Offensive Line (Left to Right): Orlando Brown Jr., Cordell Volson, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Jonah Williams
- Defensive Line: Trey Hendrickson, DJ Reader, B.J. Hill, Cam Sample
- Linebacker: Logan Wilson, Germaine Pratt
- Defensive Backs: DJ Turner II, Cam Taylor-Britt, Mike Hilton, Nick Scott, Dax Hill
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