The Cincinnati Bengals turned what was expected to be a routine injury report into a surprising one on Thursday.
After listing just four players on the first injury report before Week 1 against the New England Patriots, the Bengals made a few additions to the second injury report of the week.
By far the most notable was Tee Higgins, who popped up as limited due to a hamstring issue. That, after zero concerns about him as a full-go for most of camp even despite the franchise tag.
As Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic pointed out, Higgins that very same day had said he was effectively all systems go without issue:
Tee Higgins surfaced as limited on the Thursday injury report with a hamstring.
We just spoke with him in the locker room and there was no indication of any issue, but will monitor that tomorrow.
Again, Chase limited NIR-rest. pic.twitter.com/hQ4O7FgtLc
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 5, 2024
Perhaps the Bengals are just being super cautious after last year’s debacle that featured an NFL investigation into their injury reporting — hence Joe Burrow being listed this week.
On that note, the NFL recently advised the Chargers to list quarterback Justin Herbert on their injury report, so Higgins could fall under whatever new, extra-cautious thing the league is doing with reports this season.
Even if that’s the case, Higgins is suddenly another name to watch late this week and into the weekend.
