Bengals Sign Young WR Following Scary Tee Higgins Concussion

To help supplement the loss, the Bengals signed wideout Xavier Johnson to the practice squad.

Johnson has signed with a couple of teams in his short NFL career, but he has never recorded a snap in a professional game.

He won’t be a lateral replacement for Higgins, rather a name to fill in the roster if the star receiver’s concussion keeps him out for an extended period of time.

As good as Higgins is – he may indirectly be the reason why the Bengals have had so much trouble fielding even an average defense.

First, Burrow put pressure on the organization to give Ja’Marr Chase a historic contract, which they obliged.

Then, the former No. 1 overall pick did the same thing this offseason when Higgins was due for an extension.

The only difference is that this time Cincinnati can’t afford to bring in any legitimate options on defense because of their salary cap troubles.

The team doesn’t have a talent problem – they have a money problem that was perpetuated by the driving forces of the offense.

Ultimately, those guys hold the most weight out of all the players on the team, so the Bengals are almost forced to grant their wishes.

There doesn’t appear to be a true way forward with the way the team is currently constructed, but they run the risk of upsetting Burrow if they make any drastic offensive changes.

This is not an enviable position for any team to be in.