Higgins took part in the Bengals' voluntary offseason workout Wednesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Prominent players in contract years often skip the voluntary portions of offseason programs and sometimes the mandatory parts as well. Higgins' decision to do otherwise in the final year of his rookie deal suggests he's optimistic about signing an extension or doesn't mind playing out the season without one. He's been mentioned in trade rumors for a while due to the expectation of quarterback Joe Burrow and receiver Ja'Marr Chase signing extensions that take up a big chunk of Cincinnati's budget, but it wouldn't be all that complicated for the Bengals to keep all three players, especially if they're willing to backload the cap hits and/or make sacrifices on the defensive side of the ball.

Higgins caught six of 11 targets for 83 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-20 AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs.

EDGE Analysis

Higgins played second fiddle to Ja'Marr Chase in Cincinnati's previous two playoff games, but the former led the team in both targets and receiving yards in this hotly contested AFC title matchup. His biggest play was a 27-yard touchdown, which tied the score at 13 apiece in the third quarter. Higgins recorded his second consecutive 1,000-yard regular season before adding 148 yards and one touchdown across three postseason contests. The 24-year-old wide receiver has established himself as a key piece of Cincinnati's passing attack, which is projected to return the core of Chase, Higgins and quarterback Joe Burrow in 2023.

Higgins caught three of four targets for 28 yards in Sunday's 27-10 win over the Bills in the AFC divisional round.

EDGE Analysis

Higgins had another quiet outing by his standards, as he's now totaled just seven grabs for 65 yards through Cincinnati's first two playoff games. To his credit, though, Higgins drew an important defensive pass-interference call on a third down to begin the fourth quarter, ultimately helping the Bengals extend their lead. After Sunday's victory, Higgins will next face the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Against Kansas City in Week 13 of the regular season, Higgins caught three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown in a 27-24 win.

Higgins caught four of six targets for 37 yards and added a two-point conversion in Sunday's 24-17 wild-card round win over the Ravens.

EDGE Analysis

Higgins was kept in check by the Ravens again but got free for a two-point conversion to put Cincinnati up 17-10 in the third quarter. He had the same number of targets and catches as tight end Hayden Hurst, while Ja'Marr Chase led all Bengals pass catchers with nine catches for 84 yards and a touchdown on 12 targets. Higgins will look to raise his game against the Bills in the AFC divisional round.

Higgins (illness) returned to a full practice Thursday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

After missing Wednesday's practice, Higgins' return to all activity Thursday paves the way for the wideout to be available for Sunday's playoff opener against the Ravens. Higgins is coming off a one-catch effort in the Bengals' Week 18 win over Baltimore, but he's a bounce-back candidate this weekend, given that he averaged 4.6 catches and 64.3 receiving yards while recording seven TDs over the course of 16 regular-season outings.

Higgins (illness) returned to practice Thursday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Higgins sat out Wednesday's session, but his return to the field a day later puts him on track to suit up for Sunday night's playoff game against the Ravens. The Bengals' upcoming injury report is slated to clarify Higgins' official participation level in his return to on-field work.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Higgins didn't practice Wednesday due to an illness, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

EDGE Analysis

Higgins now has two more chances to practice as Sunday's wild-card round matchup against the Ravens approaches, but the wideout's absence from Wednesday's session makes his status work tracking. He's coming off a quiet effort in the Bengals' 27-16 win over Baltimore this past Sunday, when he caught just one of his seven targets for seven yards.

Higgins doesn't appear to be practicing Wednesday, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Higgins dealt with a concussion, toe injury and an ankle sprain in the first half of the season and a hamstring injury for the first three weeks of December. The Bengals' practice report Wednesday should reveal if Higgins' absence is due to an aggravation of the hamstring injury or something else.

Higgins recorded one catch on seven targets for seven yards in Sunday's 27-16 win over the Ravens.

EDGE Analysis

Higgins finished tied for second on the team in targets with Tyler Boyd, though he struggled to get on the same page with Joe Burrow. Higgins had a particularly inconsistent close to the regular season, as he had three games with at least 100 receiving yards but also had 35 or fewer yards in four other contests. Despite the poor close to the regular season, Higgins will likely remain one of Burrow's most targeted pass catchers during Cincinnati's postseason run.

Higgins had eight catches for 128 yards and a touchdown on nine targets in Sunday's win over the Patriots.

EDGE Analysis

Higgins was featured early and often as the Bengals jumped out to a 22-0 lead at halftime, but the Bengals looked his way a lot less frequently in the second half. On multiple occasions, Higgins drew Marcus Jones in single coverage and was able to post him up successfully.