Zac Taylor: Too early to tell if Tee Higgins, pair of rookies will play vs. Chiefs

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) scores a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) scores a touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)
Sports
By Laurel Pfahler – Contributing Writer
Sept 9, 2024
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CINCINNATI — Zac Taylor said with Tee Higgins happening so late in the week, the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t want to put him in a bad spot trying to play Sunday. His status for Week 2 remains unclear.

The fifth-year wide receiver tweaked his hamstring Thursday in practice, and the coaching staff decided to wait and see how he felt Friday and Saturday, but it didn’t make sense to play him Sunday in the opener against New England.

ExploreANALYSIS: 5 takeaways from season-opening loss to Patriots

Higgins was listed as “doubtful” on the injury report Friday.

“We wouldn’t put him out there like that,” Taylor said Monday.

Cincinnati plays at Kansas City this Sunday and will be looking to bounce back from a 16-10 loss to the Patriots in a much-anticipated AFC battle at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs beat the Ravens, 27-20, in their opener.

Higgins would be a welcome boost to an offense that sorely missed him Sunday while going three-and-out the first three drives and managing just 10 points. However, Higgins and two other injured players that have a chance to come back this week are still up in the air.

Rookie defensive tackle Kris Jenkins underwent surgery on his thumb Friday but could possibly play with protection on his hand, and rookie offensive tackle Amarius Mims resumed practicing in limited fashion last week, in his return from a pectoral muscle strain, and potentially could be available if he is able to get to full participation.

“We’ll get into the week to evaluate both of them,” Taylor said when asked specifically about Higgins and Jenkins. “I really think it’s too early to say on either one of them. The surgery went well for Kris on Friday. We’ll get to Wednesday and see where he’s at. Same with Tee. Same with Amarius. (Mims) has been practicing and continue to progress and get better. Where he is for this weekend’s game remains to be seen.”

Taylor said Mims was listed as “did not participate” on Friday because it was clear he would not be ready for Week 1 and the staff did not want to rush him. The first-round draft pick suffered the injury during the preseason opener.

“We’ll continue to see where it goes and how he’s feeling,” Taylor said. “You don’t want to rush into it too quickly. It’s a rookie you want to make sure is healthy. It’s a pec injury. That’s a big part of what he does. You got to be mindful. He has started to feel better and get into a groove in individual. We’ll be very mindful before we do full contact practicing.”

SUNDAY’S GAME

Bengals at Chiefs, 4:25 p.m., CBS, 700, 1530, 102.7, 104.7

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About the Author

Laurel Pfahler