Despite missing a game with an ankle injury, the Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young justified their decision to select him as the No.1 overall pick by leading his team to a 4-0 start in the new season. Despite having a phenomenal journey this outing, the team lacks strong weapons in its wide receiver corps.
Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins is on a contract deal and is expecting a blockbuster contract in the 2024 offseason. Though Cincy is yet to think of its next move regarding the veteran, the Panthers are rumored to steal him from them to give a boost to their struggling receiver room.
Is Tee Higgins targeted by the Panthers?
According to Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, Carolina has been in search of bringing in a top-class pass-catcher to provide assistance to their signal-caller on the way to continue their winning streak.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network also reported the Panthers’ potential move of bolstering the wide receiver room. Though Higgins is going to hit free agency next spring, the Bengals were earlier rumored not to sign him for a contract extension, per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
A league front office source has revealed that the Carolina-based franchise has inquired regarding the availability of the WR. However, according to ML Football, a trade is unlikely to happen at this time as the Bengals do not want to move their veteran and the Panthers do not have a first-round selection in this year’s draft.
The source also mentioned the fourth-year receiver out of Clemson is set to receive a big contract in the range of $ 22M-$26M along with “HEAVY GUARANTEES”.
Meanwhile, the Panthers’ receiver struggle continues, despite their recent move of the signings of Adam Thielen and DJ Chark Jr. Though they drafted Jonathan Mingo in the second round of this year’s NFL Draft and enrolled Hayden Hurst, the corp is yet to yield any promising performance on the field.
Update on Tee Higgins’s injury
Tee sustained an injury in the first half of their match against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. Though he fractured a rib after landing wrong, he earlier said the broken rib would not be a blow on his way to play in the upcoming games.
The 6’4″, 215-pound didn’t play in the second half of the campaign, and he later revealed the injury didn’t let him sleep on his right side and he could feel the pain when he coughed. However, he did not even want to get out of the field for an extended amount of time.
During the press conference on Wednesday, Cincy head coach Zac Taylor offered an update on the vet saying he did not practice with the team yesterday and is being considered on a day-to-day basis. The WR earlier said he expects to play this week and if that does not happen, he at least wants to play the match against the Seattle Seahawks on week 6.
Higgins is off to consecutive years with 74 catches and 1,000-plus yards, and hence, his presence could be a booster to the struggling Bengals squad. Meanwhile, his future in Cincinnati still remains uncertain.
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