Tee Higgins, a Bengals wide receiver, was listed as limited Thursday in his first practice back since injuring his hamstring a month ago, but he cautiously says he feels 100% and that the plan is to play Monday night (8:15 p.m. on Cincinnati’s Channel 9 and ESPN) against Jacksonville.
Also restricted but encouraging is No. 1 cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt, who missed last Sunday’s game due to a quad injury.
“I feel like I’m there, but I don’t want to push myself so hard that I go out there and have a setback,” Higgins said following practice. “I feel 100 percent, but I’m still easing my way in. I’m simply trying to get back into the groove of things.”
Higgins said he strained his hamstring while running a deep ball in Wednesday’s practice before the Nov. 12 game against Houston. At the time, the Bengals had won four consecutive games and quarterback Joe Burrow had the NFL’s second-highest passing rating.
They’ve now lost three in a row, with Jake Browning at quarterback and Burrow (throwing wrist) sidelined for the season.”Jake plays with confidence. “You can see the confidence he’s gained since filling in for Joe in the Ravens game,” Higgins said, anticipating his first catch with Browning. “The manner he’s leading the attack is similar to Joe’s. I am looking forward to catching balls from him.
The feeling is mutual.
“Tee is one of the best receivers in the NFL. During his weekly news conference Thursday after practice, Browning stated, “I don’t think you can really put it into words how essential he is to this offense.” “I believe we have a great receiving room, and I don’t want to take anything away from them. I believe Andrei (Iosivas) continues to play exceptionally well. Trenton Irwin has demonstrated his abilities. But Tee brings something to the table by being as large, swift, and experienced as he is. It’s always good to have him and Ja’Marr (Chase) on the outside.”
BROWNING GETTING SETTLED: After making his first NFL start last week at Paycor Stadium, Browning said he feels more in tune this week as he prepares for his first road game.
“I think it’s an opportunity to go into a game where I’ve already been the starter for a week; even a Wednesday practice felt so much smoother today than last week. (Last week was) “What will this all look like?” Browning said. “Now, I have a full week of that, and I think I also just keep thinking back to the concept that… whatever week this is (13), this is like week 2 for me, week 3, so that you know early on in the season, everybody is
They improve significantly until they reach a plateau. I am not at my plateau, therefore those practice reps are quite vital to me. It is critical to learn something from each rep in the game. As I continue to stack these starts and reps, I improve.”
SLANTS AND SCREENS: True to his word, Burrow came up for practice Monday after undergoing surgery on a torn ligament in his throwing wrist. He was wearing a sling and a cast on his hand. As a group of reporters exited the practice field, he greeted them with a warm “Hello.” He always makes time to bond with his teammates. Burrow went seeking for the card table in the locker room’s practice squad annex and dragged it out with his left hand to start a game. That’s all you have to know about what he means around here.
Center Ted Karras thought the Thursday-Wednesday practice went well. During Monday night weeks, everything is shifted back a day.
“We’re bringing the excitement, and we have a big prime-time game against a club vying for the top seed in this conference. “It would be fantastic to go knock them out on Monday Night Football,” Karras stated. “I am just a little angry. That’s how I like to play on sometimes. I believe we performed better overall as a group of 11 players. A smoother, better practice. Guys came to work. I’m proud of how this squad is managing itself. We are going to learn a lot about ourselves during the next six weeks.”
