Bengals receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins primed for elite encore in 2023, one analyst says
Chase #Chase
CINCINNATI, Ohio – Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins each have high expectations for the 2023 season.
The Bengals’ receiving duo has the potential to provide an encore from last year’s respective performances that helped lead the team back to the AFC title game. Pro Football Focus (PFF) listed Chase and Higgins high in its top-32 receiver rankings for next season.
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PFF analyst Sam Monson ranked Chase as the fourth-best receiver in all of football with Higgins being listed a little lower down the list at No. 19. Only Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill were each respectively listed ahead of Chase on the list.
“Chase didn’t quite replicate the crazy performance of his rookie season in 2022, but what he did manage was to show that he can be just as effective without the element of surprise, even if some of the unsustainable big plays went away,” Monson wrote about Chase. “Passes thrown toward Chase over his first two seasons in the league are generating Joe Burrow a 112.4 passer rating, and that number actually went up to 118.2 during the playoffs last season. Chase is a dominant receiver and is just getting started.”
Higgins was listed just behind Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith on the list, making Higgins’ one of the top-ranked No. 2 receivers in all of football. Monson made sure to exemplify Higgins’ efforts all while watching Chase work his elite skills last year.
“2022 was a big year for Higgins because he was able to show that he could still look like a true No. 1 receiver without Ja’Marr Chase, who missed time due to injury, on the field drawing the attention of defenders,” Monson said. “Higgins justified the narrative that he can be an elite receiver in any offense and caught 61.5% of his contested targets.”
Chase and Higgins combined for 161 receptions, 2,075 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 2023 despite Chase missing four games due to a hip injury midway through the season. If quarterback Joe Burrow puts up MVP like numbers next season, Higgins and Chase can make another strong argument for being the best receiving duo in the NFL.
Mohammad Ahmad covers the Bengals for cleveland.com. You can follow him on Twitter @MohammadAhmadTV and read all his coverage at StrictlyStripes.com.
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