Joe Burrow doesn’t have to ask his front office to bring in some more support—at least on the offensive side of the ball. He has the best wide receiver duo in the NFL. Ja’Marr Chase is the best wide receiver in the league, and that fact is the only reason Tee Higgins is technically WR2 on the roster. If he played for any other team, he’d be WR1.
The Bengals aren’t a wide-receiver-needy team, is what I’m trying to say.
That’s unfortunate for one former All-Pro wide receiver, who wouldn’t mind wearing
stripes on Sunday.
When asked which quarterback he’d love to play with, DeAndre Hopkins named Burrow.
“I gotta go with Joe Burrow,” Hopkins told Sports Illustrated at the Kentucky Derby. “I think Joe is one of the best. I love his game, his toughness. I mean, he took his team to a Super Bowl early in his career, and I feel like he can get back there with a little bit of help.”
There is a drop off between Higgins at WR2 and whoever turns into the team’s consistent WR3, but that gap likely isn’t wide enough to justify bringing in D-Hop. His desire to play for the Bengals makes total sense, though. When you consider the list of quarterbacks he’s caught passes from, you can totally understand his desire to catch some from Burrow.
And if you’re curious, they’re as follows:
- Matt Schaub
- Case Keenum
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Ryan Mallett
- Brian Hoyer
- TJ Yates
- Brandon Weeden
- Brock Osweiler
- Tom Savage
- Deshaun Watson
- Kyler Murray
- Colt McCoy
- Trace McSolrey
- Will Levis
- Ryan Tannehill
- Malik Willis
- Mason Rudolph.
Then, he played for the Chiefs in 2024 and Ravens in 2025, so you can add Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson to a long list of guys, most of whom are out of the league now.
Is there a possibility of Hopkins and Higgins on the outside while Chase goes wherever he wants to go? Sure, but it’s highly unlikely.
I would have said the Dexter Lawrence trade was highly unlikely (or impossible to happen), too. Look at us now.
