NFL legend claims Bengals’ future is at risk without WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins

Hanging onto their two marquee receivers long-term should be paramount to the Cincinnati Bengals going forward, according to NFL legend Mark Schlereth. The former Broncos star finds the Bengals are a different team without Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase in the offensive huddle.

On Wednesday’s episode of Breakfast Ball, Schlereth said:

"They play about 95% of the game in shotgun and they’re throwing the football. That’s what they have been since Joe Burrow got there!"

Higgins becomes a free agent on March 12, while Chase will be slated to be on the market at the end of next season, per Spotrac.

Higgins, Chase and quarterback Joe Burrow are among the fiercest offensive trios in the NFL, with Chase leading the league in receiving yards this past season (1,708) and Burrow leading in passing yards (4,918). Higgins was second on the Cincy roster in receiving yards (911 yards).

That's why Schlereth had questions about the Bengals' future in the absence of two key offensive weapons.

"If you lose another weapon, and you take that away from Joe Burrow, that what are you going to morph into a physical run team, are you going to morph into something else that you're not?" Schlereth questioned.

Chase Brown was the Bengals primary running back in 2024, rushing for 990 yards. In the 2023 off-season, they let Joe Mixon join the Houston Texans, despite the fact he had five 1,000-yard rushing campaigns in Cincy.

Bengals have cap issues amid free agency of Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase

Keeping Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase seems like a no-brainer from an outsider’s perspective, but making it work financially will not be so simple.

Per BVM Sports, the club has around $46 million in cap space. Spotrac has Higgins’ market value at $25.4 million annually and Chase at $33.5 million. That means the front office may need to make some roster cuts to add some cap space if they want to keep both receivers in Cincinnati or restructure some deals.

As Breakfast Ball co-host Craig Carton points out the Bengals aren’t renowned for spending a lot of money, regardless of a player’s value.

"They don’t spend a lot of money on a lot of guys; they never have," Carton said.

At the same time, they have signed Joe Burrow to a five-year, $275 million extension in September 2023, with his annual salary being $55 million per season.

While under contract until next season, Chase will have plenty of attractive offers the longer he goes without an extension, so they may need to sign him sooner rather than later if they want to save money.

The Bengals have plenty of high-priced assets, but the front office will need to decide what is more important, saving money or contending for the Super Bowl with the best set of players available.