(This story was updated to add new information.)
It sure feels like the Cincinnati Bengals are inching closer to the return of star wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Higgins, who missed the first two games of the season due to a hamstring injury, was seen on the field in Kansas City doing his usual pre-game warmups before appearing on the team’s inactives list.
Exiting Week 2, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor had some positive comments about the pacing of Higgins’ return.
“I think this extra day really helps this week,” Taylor said, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “I don’t want to make any proclamations on where he’ll be Monday night, but I feel like it’s trending in a positive direction.”
Higgins’ latest in a long line of hamstring injuries came at an odd time right before Week 1, so much so he felt the need to defend himself over the latest hiccup.
While hamstring injuries are notoriously fickle and especially for Higgins, it seems, this progress and the extra day before a Monday night game seems to point to a return.
In the interim, the Bengals have leaned on Ja’Marr Chase, a healthy dose of tight ends and one major splash play from rookie Jermaine Burton.
Update: Higgins returned to practice Thursday, the first session before Monday night’s game.