Bengals Beat: Sam Hubbard Returns, Tee Higgins Misses Third Straight, Cam Taylor-Britt Out As Bengals Try To Save Season

CINCINNATI — If the Bengals are going to start saving their season, depth players on their roster will have to start shouldering a heavier load.

Head coach Zac Taylor confirmed Friday that Cam Taylor-Britt will miss Sunday’s latest “must-win” game against the Steelers with a quad injury.

If there’s a silver lining, it comes against a Steelers offense that is playing its first game with a new offensive coordinator and a new play-caller and a quarterback in Kenny Pickett who is very much having an up-and-down season.

Pickett has just six touchdowns and four interceptions this season in his second NFL season.

But with Taylor-Britt out with a quad injury, it’ll be up to rookie DJ Turner and veteran Chido Awuzie to step up against the likes of George Pickens and Diontae Johnson. DJ Ivey also could see a bigger role.

Safety Dax Hill could see some play on the line to help with the Bengals being down a corner. The loss of the team’s most productive defensive back will no doubt have ripple effects.

Additionally, linebacker Germaine Pratt missed Friday with an illness and is technically a question mark.

The best news Friday was the news that Sam Hubbard will be back for the Bengals embattled run defense. It’s been spotty at best over the last two games, both losses. Against the Texans, Devin Singletary had four runs over 10 yards, including a 22-yarder, against the Bengals defense. Four days later, Gus Edwards had a 26-yard run and Keaton Mitchell broke out for a 21-yarder.

The likelihood of explosive runs should decrease Sunday, even with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren toting the rock.

Offensively, Tee Higgins will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury. But Taylor noted Friday this is not a sign of Higgins playing it cautious. Just the opposite. He believes Higgins is doing everything he can behind the scenes to get back on the field.

“No, they didn’t keep flaring up,” Taylor said. “He did this two weeks ago, two weeks and two days ago. That is not that long ago. And so I think he’s on a good track. I’m encouraged where he’s he’s progressing to but you know, it feels like it was a long time ago it was not he did this on a Wednesday, the Texans week.

“That was 16 days ago and for receivers, just want to be mindful so we didn’t feel good about him going this week. So let’s not push him in practice. He’s pushing himself in the rehab process, but there was no reason to integrate him into practice and risk a setback with him doing something away from the trainers.

Higgins, of course, could potentially being playing out the final games of his Bengals career if the Bengals either don’t franchise the receiver drafted in the second round of the 2020 draft or franchise him and then trade him. The projected franchise tag cost for one year of Higgins is in the neighborhood of $22.9 million.

It’s been all quiet on the extension front so there will be those who think Higgins is making a “business decision” to protect his value to a potential suitor this offseason.

“He’s always been a really good communicator. In terms of some guys, you don’t have a great feel for what they’re feeling or that they’re gonna practice. Tee is pretty clear. You can go and be direct with Tee and he’s gonna give you good feedback. And at the end of the day, that’s that’s what you ask for.”

The Bengals are likely to get two more rookie pieces back this weekend as receiver Andrei Iosivas and running back Chase Brown should be able to suit up. Brown is listed officially as questionable and will have to be activated off IR before suiting up Sunday.

“I think Chase looks good,” Taylor said. “We’ll see how it goes in terms of what he’s going to do for us but I think that he has come back and is full speed coming off of there. Obviously, a hamstring issue. the decision was made a little easier with the fourth game (on) a Thursday night game, so we knew we weren’t gonna have any physical real practices to evaluate him to see if he was ready. And so that helped.”

Brian Callahan spoke at length about the increased role Brown could have taking the load off lead back Joe Mixon and how a change of pace could help the Bengals run game. Then he got hurt in kick coverage on Oct. 26 prior to the San Francisco game.

“We’re gonna find out,” Brian Callahan told me this week. “Unfortunately he was about to probably get a little bit more of a share right before he got hurt. Just to see what he’s got, what he can give us. He does have quickness, he’s got speed, he’s got explosiveness, things that I think would, would complement Joe really well in the run game.

“I’m excited if he’s available to us. We’ll see when he gets activated officially. But I was looking forward to his time before he got hurt, and I really had the same feeling this time around, too. You hope that he can provide a little bit of a spark and a different style of runner than Mixon. It’s always good to have that kind of complement.”

Iosivas missed the Ravens game on Nov. 16 with a knee injury while Brown has missed the last four games since pulling his hamstring in kick coverage during practice on Oct. 26. He was listed as a full participant Friday and is expected to play.