The Bengals went into Week 4 against the Jaguars looking loaded at wide receiver. They came out of it staring at a depth chart that suddenly looked a lot thinner.
Ja’Marr Chase went down in the first half after taking a brutal helmet-to-helmet shot from linebacker Ventrell Miller while cornerback Jarrian Jones was holding the wideout’s facemask. In the second half, Higgins was lost to an adductor injury. He tried to return, but eventually had to turn over his helmet.
That forced Cincinnati to lean on Dohnte Meyers and Mitchell Tinsley, who was signed off the Texans’ practice squad earlier this week.
How long Chase and Higgins will be out remains unclear, and they might not miss any time at all. Still, the Bengals need to at least consider outside help at receiver, and the likeliest path would be raiding a practice squad. If they decide to go the free-agent route, there are a few names on the board.
Curtis Samuel is one option. He dealt with an elbow injury that ended his 2025 season, but he has recovered and is now an unrestricted free agent after the Bills cut him in March. The former second-round pick and Buckeye could suddenly become useful if injuries keep piling up around the league.
DeAndre Hopkins is another name to know. He’s 34, and the source even notes he may be an assistant wide receivers coach for Georgia Tech, but he has not retired.
Hopkins played in 17 games for the Ravens in 2025. Even if he didn’t produce much in Baltimore, he still carries enough reputation to command attention and potentially create space for teammates.
Zay Jones is also out there. He tore his Achilles in Week 10 of the 2025 season and landed on injured reserve, but he has recovered.
The Texans signed him before the 2026 season, then released him in August. He’s still waiting for a call from a team in need of receiver help.
Tyreek Hill is on the list too, though this one comes with a big asterisk. He suffered a nasty knee injury in Week 4 of the 2025 season and isn’t fully cleared yet, though his team is hoping for a possible November return. Given the injury and the fact that he’s lost a step, the article makes clear this isn’t a realistic fit.
Then there’s Trenton Irwin, a familiar name for plenty of fans. He was signed off the Dolphins’ practice squad in 2019 and remained there until being waived in December of the 2024 season. Since then, he’s bounced around the league and was most recently with the 49ers before being cut at the end of August.
The hope for Cincinnati is simple: Higgins and Chase don’t miss time, and none of this becomes necessary. But if the Bengals do need another receiver, the market is thin enough that every one of these names deserves a look.
In Other News...
Joe Burrow And Zac Taylor Suddenly Sound Far Apart On Bengals Offense
After the loss to Jacksonville, the Bengals came out with two noticeably different readings of where things stand on offense. Zac Taylor pointed to the effort level and the reality of injuries, trying to keep the message forward-looking, while Joe Burrow took a harder line on accountability and pushed back on any temptation to explain away the mistakes. Its the kind of split that matters in Cincinnati because the offense is built around Burrows standard, and his interceptions only sharpened the focus on how much cleaner the unit needs to be.
Taylor also made clear he wants more from the running game, which adds another layer to an offense already trying to steady itself before the Miami Dolphins come to town. The Bengals do not have the luxury of drifting into another sloppy afternoon, and the gap between the coachs optimism and the quarterbacks urgency leaves the bigger question hanging: can the group get aligned quickly enough to show the kind of response both men expect? [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Waste A Huge Joe Burrow Night In Frustrating Loss
Joe Burrow turned in one of his biggest passing nights of the season, and it still wasnt enough to lift the Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Cincinnati fell 22-17 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a game that had the feel of a missed opportunity from the start, with Burrow piling up 428 yards through the air while the offense struggled to find balance behind him.
The Bengals were also forced to keep going without Ja'Marr Chase after he left with a concussion, which only added to the strain on an offense already leaning heavily on Burrow. The run game never gave Cincinnati much help, and a critical fourth-quarter interception helped swing the night toward Jacksonville, leaving the Bengals to wonder how a performance that strong from their quarterback could still end in frustration. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Cant Keep Leaning On One Reason For This 2-2 Start
The Bengals have already run into a familiar early-season problem, and Sundays 22-17 loss to the Jaguars only sharpened it. Cincinnati is now 2-2 and sitting last in the AFC North, with head coach Zac Taylor pointing to the teams injury list, including JaMarr Chases concussion, while also making clear that the Bengals cannot hide behind attrition for long. The roster has been tested, but Taylors message was that the players still available have to carry the standard.
Miami is up next, and it arrives at a useful moment for a team trying to steady itself before the division race tightens further. The Dolphins are widely viewed as Cincinnatis easiest matchup of the season, which gives the Bengals a chance to stop leaning on explanations and start banking a result that matches the talent still left on the field. [Read more 🡒]