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Trading for a two-time 1,000-yard wide receiver would “accelerate” Jayden Daniels’ transition to the NFL, so the Washington Commanders make sense as a landing spot for Tee Higgins.
He’s set to play on the franchise tag for the Cincinnati Bengals this season, unless a trade can be worked out. A trade remains a possibility after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport confirmed Higgins and the Bengals “will not do an extension.”
The Commanders should make room for a deal, according to CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell. He believes this trade would work out for all parties for the following three reasons: “Sure, Washington already has Pro Bowler Terry McLaurin in place, but after that it’s a bunch of youngsters. Providing Daniels with two proven wide receivers from the get-go could accelerate his NFL development, and the Commanders currently have a little over $37 million in cap space at the moment, the second most in the league, according to OverTheCap.com. The Bengals also get the benefit of trading Higgins out of the AFC with this move, something that sometimes matters in deals of this magnitude.”
Equipping Daniels, the second player selected in this year’s draft, with what he needs is in the Commanders’ best interests. They expect Daniels to be their franchise quarterback and inspire a quick turnaround, two things Higgins helped Joe Burrow and the Bengals achieve.
As NFL.com’s Michael Baca put it, 2020 second-rounder “Higgins has been a certified weapon for Joe Burrow when healthy, especially in the postseason.”
Tee Higgins Has Helped a Rookie QB Before
Higgins was drafted the same year the Bengals took Burrow first overall. Just one year later, the Bengals were contesting a Super Bowl.
The Higgins and Burrow partnership was prolific during the 2021 postseason. Higgins posted back-to-back 100-yard games in the AFC Championship and Super Bowl, per Pro Football Reference.
He even snatched two touchdowns against the Los Angeles Rams in the big game. Including this one from Burrow.
A play like this is why Higgins would be an ideal fit for the Commanders. Particularly for the schemes favored by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
Tee Higgins is Ideal for Commanders
The Kingsbury gameplan is usually reliant on big targets who can stretch the field vertically outside the numbers. Higgins is ideal as a 6-foot-4, 219-pounder who has averaged 14 yards per reception throughout his career.
A deep threat as proficient as Higgins would dovetail well with Daniels’ awesome arm strength. Daniels would also appreciate Higgins’ knack for making big plays after the catch.
It’s what the 25-year-old did when he turned a simple slant into an 80-yard touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 16 last season.
Higgins averaged a career-high 5.6 yards after catch last season, so he’d be dynamic in both the short and long passing game for the Commanders. Kingsbury would have fun pairing Higgins with Terry McLaurin, another contested-catch weapon on the outside.
This double act would ease the pressure on third-year pro Jahan Dotson to finally make the grade. A McLaurin and Higgins duo would also all but guarantee Daniels has the right weapons to take the pros by storm as a rookie.
The Commanders have the space on the depth chart and money in the bank to facilitate this trade. They’ve already said no to a deal involving Brandon Aiyuk, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (h/t George Carmi of Full Press NFL), despite the player’s frequent and not-so subtle hints he’d welcome a move to Washington.
Putting together a trade package for Higgins makes more sense from a schematic standpoint.
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