Tee Higgins planning to return for Bengals' Week 13 game vs. Jaguars
The wide receiver has been sidelined since early November due to a hamstring issue.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins says he plans to return to the lineup for Monday night's matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Higgins has missed the Bengals' past three games due to a hamstring injury suffered in practice on Nov. 8.
"I thought it could have been a little strain or something like that," Higgins said, adding he had no limitations in practice. "But obviously, [we] went in and got the pictures and it was a little worse than we thought."
Higgins also missed the Bengals' Week 5 game against the Arizona Cardinals due to a rib fracture.
In a contract year, Higgins has underwhelmed. Injuries have limited his production to 328 receiving yards on 27 receptions with two touchdowns in seven games.
After re-signing quarterback Joe Burrow and linebacker Logan Wilson in the offseason, Higgins and the Bengals did not agree on an extension. Despite an uncertain future, the Clemson product is not allowing his contract situation to dictate when he plays again.
"My health is way more important than any other [thing], you know what I'm saying?" Higgins said. "My thing was I want to get healthy so I can be 100 percent to go out there and play at 100 percent to help my team come out with a W."
The 5-6 Bengals are at the bottom of the AFC North and currently on a three-game losing streak. Burrow is done for the season and Jake Browning is now under center, and he's excited to be getting an offensive weapon back.
"Tee's one of the top receivers in the NFL," Browning said. "I don't think you can really put it into words how important he is to this offense. ... There's just something that Tee brings to the table being he's big, he's fast, and having that experience that he does. It's always nice having him and Ja'Marr [Chase] on the outside."
