Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said during his Monday news conference that it is too early to tell to whether wide receiver Tee Higgins will be able to play Sunday against the Seahawks.
Higgins fractured a rib in the loss at Tennessee on Oct. 1 and did not play in Sunday’s 34-20 win at Arizona. He sat out of practice Wednesday and Thursday but worked on a limited basis Friday, running routes on air.
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Tee Higgins Injury Update
The day after the injury, Higgins said he was in a lot of pain but was hopeful he would be able to play in Arizona. But Taylor said it was his call not to play him against the Cardinals.
“I didn’t feel comfortable with how it was going to feel during the game,” Taylor said. “It wasn’t right to put him in that spot. So we just took that off of him. But he’s done everything he can to see how it feels and how he can do, and we’ll continue to take it day to day this week. Monday, it’s hard to say. We’ll see Wednesday, Thursday where he’s at. It’s hard to make a decision this early in the week on that.”
Take it for what you will, but the locker room mannequin dressed in this week’s #Bengals uniform combo (black jersey, white pants, orange stripes, orange socks) is sporting a Tee Higgins jersey.
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) October 9, 2023
The bye week sits on the other side of the Seattle game, but Taylor couldn’t say whether that will factor into the decision to play or rest Higgins this week.
“We’ll play day to day and see where we’re at with him and how much practice he’s able to get,” Taylor said. “It’s tough when you’re not able to practice and then go into the game and expect to be at your best.”
With Higgins out, Trenton Irwin got the start and caught a career-high eight passes for a career-high 60 yards. His previous highs were three receptions and 58 yards.
Irwin received a game ball from Taylor during the postgame locker room celebration.
A good night = a lot of game balls 👏
Locker Room Celly | @KetteringHealth pic.twitter.com/Akb6Hc7eAK
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 9, 2023
“We’re fortunate with some depth in that room where we know guys can step up,” Taylor said. “We always want Tee to be out there because he’s a big part of our team, so we’ll just see how much practice time we get this week and where it falls.”
It wasn’t just Irwin who stepped up in Higgins’ absence. Ja’Marr Chase caught a franchise-record 15 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns, continuing a trend where he has taken more upon himself to keep the offense rolling with Higgins not available.
MORE: Week 5 NFL Injuries Recap
In the three games Higgins has missed since Chase arrived, along with one in which Higgins played only one snap, Chase has 35 catches for 449 yards and six touchdowns.
Tee has missed 3 games since Ja'Marr arrived, and he played just one snap in another.
Wk3 2021 at Pitt: 4 catches, 65 yards, 2 TDs
Wk4 2021 vs Jax: 6 catches, 77 yards
Wk14 2022 vs Cle: 10 catches, 119 yards, 1 TD (1 snap game)
Today: 15 catches, 192 yards, 3 TDs https://t.co/BqGWfgZNpq— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) October 9, 2023
In other injury news, Taylor said the situation is similar for starting cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who missed Sunday’s game with a back injury he suffered in practice Thursday. How much Awuzie is able to practice this week will determine whether he can go against the Seahawks.
Both Awuzie and Higgins were listed as questionable on the injury report, so they should be able to play Sunday if they can practice Wednesday and/or Thursday.
Linebacker Germaine Pratt injured his shoulder while making a diving interception Sunday, but Taylor called it a “little shoulder injury” during his postgame locker room speech. Additionally, Pratt, who was in the locker room talking to reporters Monday while other players were in the training room getting treatment, downplayed the seriousness of the injury.
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