While Cincinnati Bengals fans wonder about what the team might do with rookie Jermaine Burton after his latest red-flag mishap, an underlying storyline has gone forgotten:
The Bengals are now more likely than ever to keep Tee Higgins because they keep having misfires like Burton.
Sure, Joe Burrow pounding the table for Higgins to return is nice. So is the star wideout changing agents and the report that the Big 3 have all talked about making it happen.
But consider this: Burton was supposed to be the borderline Round 1 talent who could step in and take over if Higgins leaves. And if not him, Andrei Iosivas, who at best only appears to be a No. 3 in an offense.
Also consider this: There’s nobody else to pay, anyway, at least outside of the obvious. Ja’Marr Chase will get his. And Trey Hendrickson will need a chunk of change. But the big long-term money they had hoped to earmark for prospects? It’s certainly not going to Cam Taylor-Britt. It won’t go to Dax Hill. A recent high pick like Jackson Carman is gone. Joseph Ossai-level players are looking at mid-tier contracts. And struggling veterans like Sam Hubbard and Alex Cappa are possible, even likely cuts that save cap space.
There are, for better or worse, benefits to failing tremendously at drafting and replacing departed talent — eventually, a team can’t even let the talent go because there are no replacements.
Now, the Bengals have a small window to actually keep the Higgins-Chase-Burrow trio that probably wouldn’t have been there if the organization had done a great job of building the roster while the window was open.
