Bengals biggest remaining roster hole revealed by ESPN

The Cincinnati Bengals did a great job of filling holes in the roster via free agency and the draft so far this offseason, but there could still be a couple of areas that could use some added depth. ESPN recently listed the biggest remaining roster hole for every team in the NFL, and the choice for the Bengals was somewhat surprising: Wide receiver.

The uncertainty surrounding Tee Higgins' future with the franchise was cited as the biggest factor in wide receiver being listed as the team's biggest roster hole. If Higgins remains on the roster next season, the position obviously shouldn't be an issue, But if he's traded before the start of the season, Cincinnati's depth at the position becomes a little more questionable.

From ESPN:

"Wide receiver is only a 'hole' for the Bengals because we still don't know what will happen with franchise-tagged Tee Higgins and his trade request. If Higgins stays in Cincinnati, the Bengals should have a reasonable group to fill out the wide receiver depth chart: third-round pick Jermaine Burton, the always underrated Trenton Irwin (110 and 83 receiving DYAR in the past two seasons) and promising second-year receiver Andrei Iosivas. However, any of these players would be stretched as a full-time starter opposite Ja'Marr Chase."

It's tough to argue with the logic provided here. If the Bengals were to trade Higgins without getting another receiver in return, they would probably be in trouble at the position. However, the obvious response is that it seems very unlikely that Higgins will be traded at this point.

The 2024 NFL Draft has already passed, and it seems like if the Bengals were going to trade Higgins, that would have been the time. Not to mention the fact that the Bengals have been publicly adamant that they plan to keep the productive wide receiver, Even Higgins himself said that he expects to be a Bengal next season.

So, sure. If the Bengals trade Higgins, the wide receiver position could become a problem. But at this point, that doesn't seem like something Bengals fans will have to worry about.