Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor cautioned on Monday that it would be tough for injured players like Tee Higgins and Trey Hendrickson to be able to play on Thursday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
Turns out this was true, especially in the case of Higgins.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped this note on Twitter on Monday: “On a short week with a Thursday night game vs. the Ravens in Baltimore, it’s considered unlikely that Bengals’ WR Tee Higgins will be able to return from his hamstring injury, per source.”
Higgins suffered a hamstring injury in practice last week and missed the loss to the Texans on Sunday as a result. While the injury didn’t seem to make him a candidate for injured reserve, the game against the Ravens always seemed like wishful thinking.
Without Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase on a bad back went for 100-plus yards and a score against the Texans, while Trenton Irwin saw the biggest uptick in snap counts and caught a touchdown.
If Higgins can’t go, Irwin will get big usage again. The team could also activate rookie Charlie Jones to the 53-man roster.