The Cincinnati Bengals had some key players return to practice today, but wide receiver Tee Higgins was not among them.
Defensive end Sam Hubbard, wide receiver Andrei Iosivas, and running back Chase Brown were dressed for practice and appear to be on track to return to action Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Will Bengals WR Tee Higgins Play on Sunday?
Higgins was present at practice but didn’t have his cleats, helmet, or jersey. Higgins has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, and he missed the Week 5 win at Arizona with a fractured rib.
MORE: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart
Prior to this year, Higgins had only missed two games due to injury when a shoulder issue kept him out of the Weeks 3-4 contests in 2021.
“We’ll see how the week goes for some of those guys,” head coach Zac Taylor said during his pre-practice news conference. “A couple of those guys that missed last week, I think it’s all moving in a really good direction with them.”
Sam Hubbard clocking in for practice. pic.twitter.com/fCaURYiAdL
— Jay Morrison (@ByJayMorrison) November 22, 2023
In addition to Higgins, Hubbard has missed the last two games with an ankle injury and did not practice at all last week. Since entering the league in 2018, Hubbard had appeared in 83 of a possible 89 games before hurting his ankle in the 24-18 win against Buffalo.
Rookie running back Chase Brown, who was cleared to practice Monday after missing four games with a hamstring injury, looks to be on track to be activated to the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday’s game.
“I think he’s feeling pretty good,” Taylor said. “We haven’t done any full-speed stuff yet. It’s just been walkthrough stuff. I’m encouraged with where he’s at right now, so we’ll see as we get through these next three days. But I’m encouraged by him.”
Brown injured his hamstring covering a kickoff during the Thursday practice ahead of the 49ers game, just as he was slated to have a bigger role in the gameplan. The Bengals currently don’t have an opening on the 53-man roster, but the team is expected to create one this week by putting Joe Burrow on injured reserve.
In addition to Higgins, there were two other starters who were not practicing. Defensive tackle DJ Reader is out with an illness, and cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt is dealing with the thigh injury that knocked him out of the 34-20 loss at Baltimore.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!
Listen to the PFN Bengals Podcast
Listen to the PFN Bengals Podcast! Click the embedded player below to listen, or you can find the PFN Bengals Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and all major podcast platforms. Be sure to subscribe and leave us a five-star review! Rather watch instead? Check out the PFN Bengals Podcast on our NFL YouTube channel.
