The Cincinnati Bengals have been in the news for the whole offseason because of the unsatisfactory progress of their contract talks with talented wide-out Tee Higgins.

The conversation with Higgins has become even more crucial for Cincinnati, as the loss of promising slot receiver Tyler Boyd during the free agency window would leave the team’s receiving corps somewhat depleted.

The wide receiver market is in a ludicrous state that has resulted in receivers like Mike Evans and Calvin Ridley signing massive contracts, so the odds aren’t good.

 

Come draft time, the Cincinnati Bengals can find themselves in a bind.

In the unlikely event that Higgins leaves the Bengals this offseason with (hopefully) a sizable trade deal, Cincinnati would be left with a few day-three draft picks from the previous year’s draft class and All-Pro wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.

That doesn’t seem good for ace quarterback Joe Burrow, as a number of rookie wideouts are entering the lineup.

Although I really believe in the potential of young players like Andrei Iosivas and Charlie Jones, the team might be hedging their bets after such a stormy summer.

Cincinnati may decide to choose a player in the draft or utilize the draft collateral—a projected second-round pick—received from Higgins’ trade to bolster the team’s pass-catching depth, given the amount of risk associated with a few inexperienced receivers.

That may be precisely where the team seeks to fill the slot, given that both Chase and Burrow attended LSU and built one of the greatest offenses in college football history.

 

On Sunday, January 22, 2023, at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, during an NFL divisional playoff football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (1), center, is congratulated by wide receiver Tyler Boyd (83), wide receiver Tee Higgins (85) and running back Joe Mixon (28) following a touchdown catch in the first quarter.

 

The team might try to get another large-framed wideout who can rush the ball at the point of attack if Higgins is lost this offseason.

Wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. of LSU should be Cincinnati’s top choice in the 2017 draft because the team has the 18th overall pick.The 6’3 wide receiver made the most of his large body for his squad last season, hauling in seventeen touchdowns.

Cincinnati is seeking someone with exactly that kind of target-man mentality to take Higgins’ place.

Brian Thomas Jr. defeats Alabama with a touchdown (Image courtesy of Getty Images/Kevin C. Cox)

With a 92 total athletic score at the NFL Combine, which includes a 4.33 40-yard sprint time, Thomas demonstrated great performance, according to Next Gen Stats.

Thomas is the ideal choice for Cincinnati to stretch the defense and might end up in the top two rounds, where Cincinnati is anticipated to pick up Higgins again.