Bengals' Tee Higgins Says He'll Make Season Debut Monday Night Against Commanders

A focal point of Cincinnati's offense is back.

Injured Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins (5) walks the field before the first quarter of the NFL Week 2 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. The Bengals led 16-10 at halftime. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the Cincinnati Bengals off to an 0–2 start, the team is set to get one of their key offensive pieces back—and not a moment too soon.

Wide receiver Tee Higgins will return for the Bengals on Monday against the Washington Commanders, he told reporters Friday afternoon via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.

"I'm back," Dehner said. "I'm 100%."

Higgins, 25, has been nursing a hamstring injury for much of this month. His last NFL action came New Year's Eve against the Kansas City Chiefs, when he caught a single pass for 19 yards in a 25–17 loss.

Tee Higgins leaving little doubt he will return to the high level he was playing in camp when he makes his expected season debut on MNF:

“I’m back. I’m 100 percent.”

— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) September 20, 2024

Since Cincinnati took him 33rd in the 2020 NFL draft, Higgins has averaged 75 catches, seven touchdowns and 1,080 yards per 17 games. Meanwhile, the Bengals' fortunes have largely reversed; the team won the AFC title in 2021 and contended again in 2022.

In 2024, however, Cincinnati has stumbled out of the gate. The team dropped its opener 16–10 to the New England Patriots and lost 26–25 to the Chiefs on Sunday.