Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said that his potent receiver duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, neither of whom practiced Tuesday, will be limited this week but should be ready for the season opener.
Chase has dealt with a left knee issue since early last week, while Taylor said that Higgins has a bruised heel.
“(Chase) will be limited throughout the week, but I feel good about him,” Taylor said before Tuesday’s practice. “Tee has a little heel contusion that will limit him this week, but he and Ja’Marr will be good at the end of the week.”
Cincinnati opens the season on Sept. 13 against the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Chase, 26, sustained what he called a “hyperextension” of his left knee when he fell to the turf while trying to catch a deep pass from Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow on Aug. 25. He stayed on the ground for a few seconds before trainers came out to examine him. He left the field but stayed on the sideline for the remainder of practice, The Athletic reported.
“I think Cincinnati had a scare today,” he later told reporters but added that he felt good.
Last season, he led the NFL with 185 targets and was third with 125 receptions, for 1,412 yards (11.3 yards per reception) and eight touchdowns in 16 games (all starts). Chase earned first-team All-Pro honors for a second consecutive season and a fifth Pro Bowl honor in as many seasons.
Cincinnati selected Chase with the fifth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft out of LSU.
Higgins, 27, was selected to his first Pro Bowl last season, when he caught 59 passes for 846 yards and a career-high 11 touchdowns in 15 games (14 starts).
For his career, Higgins has 389 catches for 5,441 yards and 45 TDs in 85 regular-season games (76 starts). He also has 31 receptions for 457 yards and three TDs in seven playoff games (six starts).
The Bengals drafted Higgins in the second round (33rd overall) in 2020 out of Clemson.