The Cincinnati Bengals have made it clear that they would like to sign Tee Higgins to a long-term contract this offseason. Director of player personnel Duke Tobin said as much while speaking with media members at the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
"Our preference with Tee Higgins is to do a long-term agreement," Tobin said. "Always has been. It continues to be, and we'll work hard to get that done."
While this sounds good, wanting to sign Higgins to a long-term deal and actually doing so are two different things, and until the latter occurs, there's going to be some doubt about a deal getting done.
Bengals met with Ohio state receiver Emeka Egbuka at the NFL Scouting Combine
In a world where the two sides don't come to an agreement on an extension and Higgins either hits free agency or is tagged and traded, the Bengals will want to have a contingency plan, and that plan could come through the draft.
The Bengals have reportedly met with star wide receiver Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State at the combine. Could Esbuka be a potential Higgins replacement? He was certainly elite in college.
As a senior last season, Egbuka caught 81 passes for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named Third-Team All-Big 10, and he was a big part of the reason that the Buckeyes were able to win the National Championship. He projects as a player who could contribute immediately in the NFL.
Given his skill set and potential, Egbuka is widely projected to be a first round pick in the draft, meaning that if the Bengals were going to grab him, they'd have to do so with the No. 17 overall pick, if he's still available. Given all of their other areas of need, it's fair to wonder if Cincinnati should use their top pick on a receiver.
It's also important to remember that teams meet with a lot of players at the combine. So the fact that the Bengals met with Egbuka certainly doesn't mean he's their top target or anything. But, there is at least some interest. Will that interest ultimately materialize into something more meaningful? We'll find out in a little less than two months.