The Cincinnati Bengals will be unusually thin at receiver in Week 9 without either Tee Higgins or Jermaine Burton. Higgins will miss the game with a quadriceps injury but Burton is a healthy scratch.
Burton is not active for the game due to missing the team's walk-through on Saturday, per Ian Rapoport. He was the top candidate to receive the spot start in place of Higgins next to Ja'Marr Chase and Andrei Iosivas. Instead, Trenton Irwin will likely get the call.
Going from Higgins to Irwin will undoubtedly affect the Bengals' offense with the former currently second on the team with 341 receiving yards in just five games. Tight end Mike Gesicki figures to see increased opportunities with Higgins out.
As a third-round rookie out of Alabama, Burton has caught just two passes on the year. Both of his catches have been deep passes from Joe Burrow, with his 41-yard haul in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles being his second reception of over 40 yards on the year. Burton also saw his playing time increase in the game, running a season-high 18 routes in the team's 37-17 loss.
Without Higgins or Burton, the Bengals are slated to have just four active receivers in Week 9 as they prepare to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. Second-year reserve Charlie Jones is also out for the game with a groin injury, making Kendric Pryor the only available backup for the contest. Pryor was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday.
Bengals desperately seek Week 9 win over Raiders despite shorthanded offense
The Bengals might not have either Higgins or Burton in Week 9, but they will need to come out with a win regardless. Cincinnati is just 3-5 on the year through eight games; a disappointing start for a team that had legitimate Super Bowl aspirations.
Their overall record is abnormally poor but the Bengals have gone 3-2 in their last five games to gather minimal momentum. However, the team's blowout loss to the Eagles in Week 8 ended their first win streak of the year and dropped them two games below .500.
Burrow figures to have a tough time moving the ball against the Raiders in Week 9. Las Vegas ranks above average in passing yards allowed to opposing offenses without even factoring in the Bengals' loss of two rotational pieces.
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