Zac Taylor provides small injury updates on Tee Higgins, Chidobe Awuzie

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Arizona Cardinals without a top player on both sides of the ball on Sunday.

The Monday after, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor didn’t want to offer up too much on either guy.

On star wideout Tee Higgins, Taylor said things looked good closer to the end of the week, yet they didn’t feel comfortable enough to play him. Higgins had said he wanted to play through the fractured rib, but it sounds like coaches said no.

And similar story with top cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, with Taylor saying the next couple of days will prove important after he tweaked his back in practice last week.

Like last week, both guys will be headline items on all three injury reports. Cincinnati has a bye after this weekend’s game against Seattle, so there’s an opportunity there to play them if it’s a close call, then let them rest up during the break — but so far, this has been the usual precautious approach to injuries from Taylor and Co.

Zac Taylor speaks to the media. https://t.co/F7pTh5OM2H

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) October 9, 2023