Although Ja'Marr Chase is THE wide receiver* of the Cincinnati Bengals, there's no denying how important Tee Higgins is to Zac Taylor's offense. The third-year player is one of the biggest reasons to be optimistic about this team's chances in 2022.

*Note: To be read in a THE Ohio State kind of tone.

In fact, Higgins was so successful that he ranked first on the team in EPA per target and success rate. Even above Chase himself. That alone goes to show you how efficient Higgins is for the Bengals.

And yet, we could be in for much more from the former Clemson Tiger.

During a recent episode of The Athletic Football Show, ESPN analyst Mina Kimes discussed Higgins' role for Cincinnati this year, which will be huge to combat the new approach defenses will take against the Bengals:

Two-high shells.

Last year, the most explosive offenses in the league faced two-high shell defenses at historic rates as defensive coordinators did everything in their power to take away the big plays.

It's safe to say that after a breakout season from the Bengals' offense, Joe Burrow and company will be getting the same treatment Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen did last year.

But Cincinnati is prepared to combat that trend. One of the biggest reasons why is Higgins.

"They have Tee Higgins. Who I think is the perfect wide receiver to play those looks. Because he has such a rare combination of size, hands, and shiftiness," said Kimes about the Bengals WR2. "Having him underneath – even if defenses take away Ja'Marr Chase over the top – you will keep those chains moving."

The Bengals will need Kimes' prophecy to become true because defenses caught on to Burrow after the bye.

"Opposing defenses also caught on. Before the Bengals’ bye in Week 10, Burrow faced Cover-1 or Cover-3 on over half of his dropbacks (51.5%). That dropped to 42.9% from Week 11 on," wrote Dan Pizzuta from Sharp Football Analysis. 

After facing a lot of Cover 1 (single-high, man-to-man coverage) early in the season, almost abandoned the approach. The Bengals faced such coverage in only 13% of the snaps after the bye versus 26% before it. Opposing defenses cut down on it almost by half.

As talented as the Bengals are, Zac Taylor will need to adjust his offense's priorities. With defenses making an effort to take away the deep game, the run game and the short passing game will have to be on point if Cincinnati wants to remain a top offense in the game.

A quick look at their starting lineup strongly suggests they'll make it work.

 Featured image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK