It feels like Tee Higgins has been a little overshadowed by everything else going on around the Bengals’ offense.
That probably won’t last.
Higgins has come out of the gate absolutely cooking in 2026, and the numbers through three games are a pretty good reminder of just how valuable the Bengals’ WR2 really is.
Through three games, Higgins has 14 catches for 244 yards, averaging an eye-popping 17.4 yards per reception, with a touchdown. He’s also coming off back-to-back 90-plus-yard performances after
posting 95 yards against Houston and 90 against Pittsburgh.
And there’s another number from Bradley Locker’s post that really puts his start into perspective: Higgins is averaging 81.3 receiving yards per game, which would put him on pace for more than 1,380 yards over a 17-game season.
That’s some serious production.
Locker’s tweet also shows how Higgins is highly effective as a run blocker. Scoring over 80 in both receiving and run-blocking grades shows just how great a start No. 5 is off to, as well as how complete of a wide receiver he is.
Higgins has also been doing it without needing a ridiculous number of targets. He’s averaging fewer than five receptions per game, meaning Cincinnati is getting big chunks of yardage whenever Joe Burrow looks his way.
The 6-foot-4 receiver has always been capable of making plays down the field, but there’s something particularly encouraging about seeing him establish this kind of consistency early. And that’s before we even get to what his presence does for Ja’Marr Chase.
Defenses simply can’t afford to sell out to stop Chase when Higgins is playing like this. The Bengals can move Higgins around, attack different matchups, and let Burrow take whichever favorable matchup the defense gives him.
Higgins isn’t just having a good start. He’s making it increasingly difficult for defenses to pick their poison against Cincinnati’s passing game.
After three weeks, that’s a pretty encouraging development for a Bengals offense that will need all of its weapons if this team is going to make a run in 2026.
