Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and guard Xavier Su’a-Filo both suffered injuries in the 20-17 loss to the Chicago Bears and are considered day-to-day in terms of their ability moving forward.
Head coach Zac Taylor said Su’a-Filo injured his leg and Higgins’ injury is undisclosed at the moment.
If Su’a-Filo is unable to play on Sunday when the Bengals take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Taylor is confident in rookie Jackson Carman’s ability if he’s called upon to start at Heinz Field.
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“He’s made improvements every single week since training camp started,” Taylor said. “And Frank (Pollack) knows and (has) preached to those guys they are all one play away and you never know when it’s coming. I think Jackson is taking the right approach there.”
Carman, 21, is a player for whom the Bengals have high hopes. Cincinnati selected the former Clemson Tiger in the second round of this year’s draft in hopes he would be an impact player up front. He was asked to switch from tackle to guard and wasn’t able to come in and win a starting job, though. Taylor and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan have often expressed they need to see more consistency from Carman.
The Bengals have allowed nine sacks on quarterback Joe Burrow through two games. Far too many, as Taylor said on Monday. Burrow was hit nine times in Chicago and Pittsburgh’s defensive front is equally, if not more, talented than the Bears. If Carman has to start, his rookie debut will be a difficult matchup but one that will show the franchise what they potentially have in their second-round pick.
Higgins, 22, is vitally important in the Bengals’ offense. The passing attack essentially runs through Higgins and if he’s unable to go against the Steelers, Burrow will be without his favorite target. The second-year wideout has 10 receptions for 118 yards on 15 targets and two touchdowns so far this season.
The first injury report from the team, which includes practice participation and the injury designations, will be released on Wednesday.
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