The Bengals’ 2023 season was undoubtedly not what supporters had anticipated. Cincinnati’s season ended prematurely due to injuries, which was regrettably the season’s dominant theme.
Still, it’s early to start planning for next season and succeed in many ways. Getting Joe Burrow healthy is the first step towards a successful season, but the team’s future success will depend on how well they handle free agency. As a number of Bengals approach free agency, let’s examine three unrestricted free agents whose exits would be felt and might potentially hurt the team in the upcoming season.
Tee Higgins is arguably the Bengals free agent that most people are most aware of. Following his 2020 arrival to the Bengals, Higgins has performed admirably. Higgins had 42 receptions for 656 yards and five touchdowns in the 2023 campaign. Considering that Higgins missed time this season, the numbers are remarkable.
Higgins got a pass from Jake Browning on a third and 7 to get a first down in the first quarter of Week 17’s game against the Chiefs. That was for nineteen yards, and that’s just one instance of what Higgins is capable of. Though it seems strange to consider that this might have been the final season in which Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins interacted, this could very well
It makes sense to keep Tee Higgins, but it also makes sense to let him go. Although Higgins is gifted and has been a major playmaker for the Bengals for a long time, it seems like they are ready for the kind of situation in which Higgins finds himself. Both Charlie Jones and Andrei Iosivas had outstanding rookie seasons, proving that the new versions of both players were wise picks. Although Higgins is experienced, his continued presence could prove to be too costly.
