Chad Johnson Weighs in on Tee Higgins' Potential
CINCINNATI — Bengals rookie wide receiver Tee Higgins has been one of the many bright spots on offense for Cincinnati this season.
The 21-year-old has 33 receptions for 488 yards and three touchdowns in eight games. He's averaging 14.8 yards-per-catch and has been one of the best rookie wide receivers in the NFL.
The Bengals drafted Higgins with the 33rd pick in April's NFL Draft.
Higgins has put on a show in recent weeks, averaging five receptions and 83 receiving yards in the Bengals' past five games. He's received praise from Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and rookie quarterback Joe Burrow.
A former Cincinnati great chimed in on Higgins' recent play.
"He’s better than i was as a rookie, people thought he had big shoes to fill wearing the 85, at this point his feet are bigger than mine," former Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson tweeted.
That's high praise from one 85 to another. Johnson is arguably the greatest wide receiver in Bengals history. He was a second-round pick, just like Higgins, but his career didn't take off in his first season.
Johnson had 28 receptions (60 targets) for 329 yards and one touchdown in his rookie season. He appeared in 12 games and never had more than 68 yards receiving in a game.
Higgins' start is more comparable to what A.J. Green did in his rookie season. Green had 40 receptions for 599 yards and five touchdowns in his first eight games.
Higgins has a better quarterback than Johnson and Green did in their rookie season, but the fact that he's in the same conversation after eight games is a testament to how well he's playing.
Green finished with 1,057 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2011. Higgins could finish ahead of him in both categories with a big second half of the season.
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