What does the Bengals’ interest in Alec Pierce say about Tee Higgins’ future?

The Bengals recently gave a top-30 visit to University of Cincinnati wide receiver Alec Pierce, meaning they used one of their 30 opportunities to get an in-person evaluation of a player on him.

Does that mean they’ll draft him? Not necessarily. However, it does mean they are open to taking a receiver early, as Pierce is expected to go in the first three rounds. The Bengals, of course, have holes at cornerback and interior pass rusher and a question mark at left guard. Receiver is arguably the strongest position group on the team.

With the explosion of the receiver market this offseason, it’s sadly becoming clear that the Bengals are unlikely to have all three of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd on the team in 2024. So the front office, knowing the value of talented receivers on rookie contracts, is apparently already preparing for that situation.

While Boyd is the most likely departure, his replacement would not look like Pierce, a huge, jump ball target who rather fits the mold of Higgins. Last year, Higgins took a tremendous step forward in his development, and that could put him out of Cincinnati’s price range in a couple of years.

We talk about the team’s interest in Pierce in the video below:

You can also listen on iTunes or using the player below: