Joe Burrow Says Tee Higgins is Different This Season: 'He's Playing With a Chip on His Shoulder This Year'

Bengals star quarterback Joe Burrow has noticed a change in wide receiver Tee Higgins.

"I think he's playing with a chip on his shoulder this year," Burrow said on Wednesday. "I think his level of urgency since he came back has been high. He's been excited about his ability to go out and make plays this year, and he's continuing to show that he can."

Higgins missed the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, but has hauled in 25 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns in four contests.

"He's going to continue to get a lot of opportunities," Burrow said. "When he gets the ball in his hands he's been lowering his shoulder and getting those extra 4-5 yards, which the way teams play us has been big. Big time player, makes big time plays in big time spots and he's going to continue to do that."

The 25-year-old is in his fifth season with the team. He's set to become a free agent in March. Higgins has made tough, physical catches this season and has been more than willing to drag defenders with him for an extra couple of yards.

"He's gotten better at that year to year," Burrow said. "You really saw him flying for extra yards on Sunday. He did a great job of doing that. And really, last couple years he has, you know rookie Tee his pop up game wasn't quite as good, but now he gets hit and pops right back up. You don't have to hold your breath every time. His pop up game has improved a lot. So that's been good to see."

The Bengals are banking on Higgins to have another big game on Sunday against Cleveland. Check out all of Burrow's comments ahead of their Week 7 matchup here.