Tee Higgins’ Strong Message to Zac Taylor Over Injuries in Practice as Joe Burrow Puts Bengals Stars on Notice

Remember how the Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins missed three weeks because of a quadriceps injury? He was excited to return in mid-November and even stated, “Just sitting there watching, I hate it, you know what I’m saying? Not being able to contribute to help get a win, it sucks. So I’m very excited to go out there and fight.” He had suffered the injury during practice and his latest admission is a cause of concern for the Bengals and fans!

In an interview posted by the ‘Jungle Roar Bengals Pod’ on YouTube, the wide receiver talked about injuries. A reporter asked him: “Zac told us that if we didn’t see you practice on Wednesday, it is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s about managing you to get you through the rest of the season. Do you feel like that’s helped you be healthy these last couple of weeks?” How did Higgins respond?

He stated, “I mean, they just looking out, you know. Cause obviously, all my injuries been coming in practice. You know, I mean it be like some simple s–t. So, I appreciate them for managing that, you know, just to get me to Sundays.”

This brings in another question: What was Tee Higgins doing in practice that led to his painful quad injury? When asked this question, the player smirked and added, “Just running a regular route and it just tweaked it, man. You know, had a little grade 2.”

It looks like head coach Zac Taylor needs to be a bit more careful. Also, let us not forget how Higgins has had to deal with soft-tissue injuries throughout his career. In fact, this season, he suffered a hamstring injury just a couple of days before Week 1. As a result, he missed the first two games and in the previous season too, he missed four games owing to a hamstring injury. However, as per his own admission, he worked towards avoiding such issues, “I thought I was handling it the right way, and then this stuff keeps happening. So I had to go and call people and see what I need to do better or more of. I feel like I’m on the right track right now.”

Prior to the quadriceps injury, the athlete was praised by his coaches for performing at the highest level of his career. He averaged 80.7 yards per game in the three games before his injury and also has big contributions to his team’s back-to-back wins over the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns.

As per StatMuse, Tee Higgins has played 5 seasons for the Bengals. He has had 300 catches for 4,242 yards and has scored 29 touchdowns. In this season, he has played in just seven games, finishing off with 43 receptions, while covering 558 yards for 5 touchdowns. Now that he has raised a major concern about his practice sessions, Zac Taylor needs to find another way to control injuries, especially since something is off this season.

Before Tee Higgins, Joe Burrow questioned the Bengals’ situation

Before Tee Higgins’s comments, Joe Burrow‘s comments made waves when asked about the cornerstones of the Bengals. His answer wasn’t the reassuring list of names you would expect. Instead, it revealed the raw truth.

He expressed, “I think we’ll find out over the next five weeks … I don’t think I have an answer for you right now.” Now, it’s definitely a wake-up call for everyone in the locker room.

Coming off another painful home loss to an AFC North rival, the frustration is real. And that’s why Burrow made it clear that the upcoming weeks will show who is ready to fight and who is not. He said, “I think we’ll learn a lot about who we have in the locker room. The guys we can count on going forward, and the guys we can’t. The next six weeks will say a lot about who we can count on and who we can’t.” And if we look at this comment closely, it might be a challenge given by the quarterback to his players in the locker room.

The fact that Burrow was unable to name a player is concerning for the team but explains their 4-8 record following their loss to Pittsburgh. They are in a tough spot.

But the QB’s mindset is all about accountability, as he already said, “I think the NFL is a what have you done for me lately league and it doesn’t matter what you did last year, it matters what you’re doing now.”

“Some guys have played great, others haven’t. The guys that watch the tape every day know that better than I do outside of the offense which is my realm. I think the next five weeks will say a lot.”

If Tee Higgins, Joe Burrow, Zac Taylor, and the rest of the team want to play in the playoffs, they need to step up their game for sure! What d you think?