Looking at the Bengals’ receiving options as Chase, Higgins status Sunday uncertain

2024-09-08 23:40:22

Things look very different for the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday morning than they did just 72 hours ago.On Thursday, Ja’Marr Chase was back at practice and the Bengals looked set to start the year with their top two targets, something that wasn’t always a sure thing with Chase’s hold-in and Tee Higgins’ reported unhappiness with the team franchise tagging him.As you wake up on Sunday, Higgins is doubtful to see the field with a hamstring injury and Chase was a late edition to the injury report on Saturday, not participating due to an illness.Injuries are nothing new to Higgins, who played in just 12 games a season ago, leading him to record a career low in balls caught (42), receiving yards (656) and touchdowns (5).Despite Chase’s illness designation, ESPN reported late Saturday that the Bengals are “proceeding with tis game plan anticipating” Uno will be available.With the status of the Bengals’ top two receiving options up in the air, the Bengals elevated Kendric Pryor from the practice squad.The Bengals also will also rely on a talented but young receiving corps down the depth chart, led by Andrei Iosivas, who was listed as the Bengals’ starting slot receiver on the first regular season depth chart earlier this week.A sixth-round draft pick out of Princeton University last year, Iosivas caught 15 passes for 116 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games.Trent Irwin and Charlie Jones, who are known to Bengals fans more for their talents on special teams, will also be looked to by Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow to make some plays.Also a member of the 2023 draft class, Jones caught just seven passes for the Bengals in 11 games last year but did return 23 kicks for Cincinnati, totaling 248 yards and one touchdown.Irwin, who has been with the Bengals since 2019, caught 25 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown last year.Third-round draft pick Jermaine Burton could also get an early chance to shine, though reporting earlier this week in The Athletic suggests the team might not put him on the field until he is more pro-ready.It’s not just wide receivers Burrow will have at his disposal. A lack of Chase or Higgins could give Burrow reason to welcome free agent acquisition Mike Gesicki to Cincinnati with a high target share. From 2019-2021, Gesicki was targeted at least 85 times while with the Miami Dolphins, including a career-high 112 targets in 2021.Last year, with the New England Patriots, Gesicki was one of just four players to catch multiple touchdown passes.Gesicki joins a TE room that struggled to open last year, but started to find a groove, especially with Tanner Hudson, who led the position with 39 catches for 352 yards.Cincinnati also boasts one of the best pass catching backfields in the league. Last year, new Bengals running back Zack Moss – then in Indianapolis – caught 27 balls for 192 yards and three touchdowns.Chase Brown, as a rookie, added 14 catches for 156 yards and one touchdown.Even if the Bengals get one, or both, of their top-of-the-depth-chart targets on Sunday, neither will be at full capacity. To get the season off on the right foot, it’ll be a true group effort on offense against New England.