Why Tyler Fulghum likes the under in Commanders-Bengals (0:25)
Tyler Fulghum explains why he’s now not assured within the offenses of the Commanders and Bengals. (0:25)
Ben Toddler, ESPN Team WriterSep 20, 2024, 05:54 PM ET
- Ben Toddler covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the corporate in July 2019. Forward of ESPN, he worked for quite a entire lot of newspapers in Texas, most honest now not too prolonged ago at The Dallas Morning News the put he coated college sports.
He affords day after day coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL reveals and ESPN Radio applications.
A local of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s level in journalism. He’s an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Affiliation (AAJA).
CINCINNATI — Practical one of many Bengals‘ high huge receivers is eyeing his season debut.
Cincinnati wideout Tee Higgins mentioned he’s planning to play in opposition to the Washington Commanders on “Monday Night Football.” Higgins, who has uncared for the first two games with a hamstring bother, mentioned he feels 100% healthy and desires so that you just can play at fleshy energy.
“I feel gargantuan,” Higgins mentioned after Friday’s practice. “Clearly, heart-broken with the bother, sat out the first two weeks, but within the ruin ready to get my feet moist this season and prepared to amble.”
Higgins felt like minded going via warmups sooner than final week’s game in opposition to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs. Then any other time, he desired to be cautious so he can operate at a fleshy workload whenever he stepped onto the sphere.
Bengals coach Zac Taylor confirmed Higgins will play, saying after Saturday morning’s practice that Higgins got right here via the week properly.
Higgins has been restricted at practice at some stage in this week, at the side of Friday’s practice. Then any other time, the fifth-One year huge receiver noted that the prep for Washington (1-1) has long gone properly and he has gotten sufficient plays to feel like minded and be ready for the highest-time performance.
Higgins, who has accumulated over 1,000 receiving yards in two of his four NFL seasons, had a solid training camp sooner than he suffered the hamstring bother Sept. 5, a few days sooner than the season opener in opposition to the New England Patriots.
Closing week, Higgins suggested ESPN that the bother turned into as soon as worse than at the starting up feared after there turned into as soon as a extra evaluation. He maintained that stance Friday and added that it turned into as soon as a disappointing turn of occasions because it turned into as soon as such a degree of emphasis for him main as a lot as the starting up up of the season.
“That’s why I turned into as soon as so bummed out that it came about because it turned into as soon as one thing I targeted on this offseason for it to now not happen, and it did, but I’m lend a hand now so or now not it’s icy,” Higgins mentioned.
Bengals huge receiver Ja’Marr Inch is among those overjoyed that Higgins might perhaps be lend a hand on Monday. Inch is having a stumble on ahead to seeing much less attention from opposing defenses. Inch is in total double-teamed as he turned into as soon as in opposition to Kansas Metropolis, when he had four catches on 5 targets for 35 yards within the loss.
Inch is hopeful Higgins brings a unheard of-mandatory enhance for a Bengals team looking out for its first receive of the season after the fifth 0-2 starting up up within the past six seasons.
“I feel like we desire a receive, valid set under our belt valid so we can feel relaxed and valid get a receive at dwelling,” Inch mentioned. “I focal level on that is yet any other like minded thing that’ll be like minded for us. And having a fleshy offense lend a hand as one entire unit, within the ruin, I focal level on that might per chance perhaps perhaps be like minded for us.”
Higgins and the Bengals have failed to come lend a hand to an agreement on a prolonged-time interval extension in every of the past two seasons. Cincinnati placed the one-One year franchise label on him for this One year, which makes him a free agent at the live of the season.
He mentioned he turned into as soon as now not striking any extra emphasis on having a extensive season that might per chance perhaps per chance voice up a monetary windfall.
“I bear now not definitely stumble on at it that approach,” Higgins mentioned when requested in regards to the topic. “I’ve valid bought to exit and be me and play my game, and the leisure will rob care of itself.”