THE Cincinnati Bengals are not in a good position. Their roster is better than what they play and they are closer to being eliminated from the playoffs than being in it after their disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in Week 8.

Higgins T-shirt was out due to a quadriceps injury he suffered Friday in practice, but that wasn’t really the reason the Bengals lost. In fact, his absence might have proven that they can do without him even if they can regain some traction in the playoff conversation.

Mike Gesicki was the hot target of the first half as Joe Burrow hit him on several plays, including an impromptu one that extended the drive. If the Bengals use him more in Higgins’ absence, he could be that secondary option, alongside Jermaine Burton.

Not that the Bengals need anything, in particular, to give them a better playoff chance, but they could get an interesting return, especially as wide receivers become a hot commodity with the NFL trade deadline approaching.

Who knows, they might even find another second-round pick up to the fourth round to become a No. 2 option for Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals need to pay Chase and Higgins this season. Chase seems like the best option. The Bengals must therefore return Higgins before November 5 to avoid leaving him free.

Here’s who the Bengals should call after their latest loss to make a deal for Higgins.

THE Dallas Cowboys must be the first call to Cincinnati. I don’t care how stingy Jerry Jones is and I don’t care how quiet they’ve been so far. They must realize that what they have is not enough. And adding Higgins might help solve the major problem of the offense.

Dak Prescott is still experiencing one of his turnaround periods. This season, it’s costing Dallas winnable games. And that comes down to not having enough guns. We’ve seen the struggles that Patrick Mahomes went through and a lot of that has to do with the fact that he didn’t have the weapons either.

THE Chiefs made a move for DeAndre Hopkins. This should have been an indicator to the Cowboys that they need to get aggressive before the trade deadline. They let way too many players slip away, which could have impacted this offense. Derrick Henry, DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper. If Higgins is added to this list, the Cowboys will only be responsible for their misfortunes in 2024.

This goes without saying. THE Tampa Bay Buccaneers Need help from a wide receiver imminently. Baker Mayfield lost his two top targets in the same game. And if they plan to challenge for a playoff spot – Kirk Cousins ​​torched the Bucs and all but sealed a division title in the process – they need to add a high caliber player now.

Higgins would be an ideal selection as he can be the No.1 option and can make an instant impact. They have similar offenses, so it wouldn’t be a drastic change to bring him in. He could come in and be a security blanket for Mayfield and this offense. At worst, he doesn’t elevate the offense as hoped. At best, it fulfills perfectly Chris Godwin and relieves Mike Evans on his return.

This is something the Buccaneers need to consider and I don’t think the Bengals will ask teams to overpay. All signs point to Cincinnati not bringing Higgins back, so they could be looking to get something in return.

Denver has actually looked much better than expected this season. Adding a wide receiver like Tee Higgins could give rookie quarterback Bo Nix a comfortable weapon to lean on. Cortland Sutton has been a great No. 21 option, but aside from him, the Broncos don’t have a safe option in the passing game outside of that.

In five games, Higgins has 30 meters less than Suttonthe Broncos’ leading receiver. Adding him could strengthen an offense in search of identity. I’m not sure how much the Broncos would have to give up and I’m not sure if they would feel comfortable giving up players or a lot of draft capital to get there. They are still stuck with dead space following the release of Russell Wilson.

It would be difficult to navigate, but the Broncos could make the move and it would certainly elevate their offense. If Nix struggles with Higgins and Sutton, that would also make it clear to them that Nix might not be the answer at quarterback like they were hoping.