Burrow's options at receiver are nearly gone. Here's what's left.

Chase is still in the concussion protocol and Higgins is questionable with the adductor — I've filed both of those notes this week — so this is less an update than a stocktaking. What does Cincinnati's passing game actually look like if neither plays Sunday?

The depth chart at wide receiver has been a concern all season. Going back to the Iosivas injury in late September, this room has been operating short-handed, and the front office's own roster construction heading into 2026 flagged it: only one receiver had logged meaningful playing time, and there was no viable depth behind Higgins. That was the baseline before anyone got hurt. Now the top two are both banged up at the same time.

Mike Gesicki and the tight end group can absorb some of the load, and Chase Brown remains a capable outlet in the passing game. But those are checkdown options, not playmakers who stress a defense vertically. Burrow is good enough to manufacture something from limited pieces — he's done it before — but the margin shrinks considerably when the two receivers who account for the bulk of his production aren't on the field.

Worth watching in the next 48 hours: whether Higgins gets upgraded or Chase clears protocol. If both miss, this is a different offense than the one that's supposed to be Cincinnati's competitive advantage.