Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor made a point this week to fire back slightly at criticism leveled toward wide receiver Tee Higgins.
Higgins has come under fire for a slow start to his 2023 season, which sticks out due to general expectations and even moreso because he’s in a high-profile contract year.
But Taylor pointed out that, even while Higgins was catching two passes during the win over Seattle as something of a decoy, just his being out there provided immense value.
“I think it’s unfair to look at his body of work the last couple of weeks especially,” Taylor said. “He’s been way less than full speed. Appreciate him going out there. Even when he’s not full speed, it still takes attention from the defense away and allows other guys to be productive as well.”
Other than his eight catches for 89 yards and two scores in the loss to Baltimore in Week 2, Higgins has been incredibly quiet all year with some notable drops mixed in — even before the rib injury.
Interestingly, Ja’Marr Chase recently revealed how a schematic change implemented over the summer could create more production for the offense soon and it might just explain some of the slower-than-usual start for Higgins, too.
