Two receivers, no practice reps, 12 days to kick-off
Neither of Cincinnati’s starting wide receivers took part in Tuesday’s practice, and Zac Taylor spent his pre-session briefing explaining why that is not a problem yet.
Ja’Marr Chase has been managing a left knee issue since early last week. Tee Higgins has a bruised heel. Both will work on a reduced load through the week, with the Bengals opening their season on Sept. 13 against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“(Chase) will be limited throughout the week, but I feel good about him,” Taylor said. “Tee has a little heel contusion that will limit him this week, but he and Ja’Marr will be good at the end of the week.”
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The Aug. 25 moment that started this
Chase, 26, went down chasing a deep ball from Joe Burrow on Aug. 25 and described the injury as a hyperextension of the left knee. He stayed on the turf for a few seconds before trainers reached him, then walked off and watched the rest of the session from the sideline, according to The Athletic.
“I think Cincinnati had a scare today,” he told reporters afterwards, while insisting he felt fine.
The reaction makes sense once you look at his workload. Chase led the entire NFL with 185 targets last season, ranked third with 125 receptions, and finished with 1,412 yards at 11.3 per catch and eight touchdowns across 16 starts. He has reached the Pro Bowl in each of his five seasons and has back-to-back first-team All-Pro selections. Cincinnati took him fifth overall in the 2021 draft out of LSU.
Higgins has become harder to replace too
Higgins, 27, reached his first Pro Bowl last season on 59 catches for 846 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns in 15 games. His career line now reads 389 receptions, 5,441 yards and 45 touchdowns in 85 regular-season games, with 31 catches, 457 yards and three scores added in seven playoff appearances. He arrived in the second round, 33rd overall, in 2020 out of Clemson.
Between them the pair absorbed most of Burrow’s throwing volume last year, which is why a bruised heel and a hyperextended knee in the first week of September earn a coach’s briefing rather than a line on an injury sheet. Reps in early September count for less than availability on Sept. 13, and Taylor has made clear which one he is buying.
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