The NFL Top 100 just gave Bengals stars Tee Higgins and Dexter Lawrence the exact fuel they need entering 2026
The NFL released the 10 players who just missed the cut of this year’s Top 100 Players. Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins came in at No. 109, while nose tackle Dexter Lawrence landed at No. 105.
Joe Burrow made the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 last week, but the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback was nearly joined by two of his teammates.
The NFL released the 10 players who just missed the cut of this year’s list, and Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins came in at No. 109 while nose tackle Dexter Lawrence landed at No. 105.
It’s one thing to be left off the list entirely. It’s another to be barely off it. Now that we know Higgins and Lawrence were so close but didn’t make the cut, it should only add more motivation for both players to have standout 2026 seasons.
Tee Higgins had a top-100 worthy year
I’m a bit surprised Higgins didn’t make the list this year. He posted a career-high 11 touchdowns last season and avoided injuries for all but two games after missing five the year prior. The last two years have really solidified Higgins’s standing as one of the best wideouts in the game.
Higgins also made his first career Pro Bowl, and he did so while catching passes from three different quarterbacks. It was an impressive season, and I thought there was a really good chance he was going to crack the top 100. His peers nearly thought the same, but not quite.
Dexter Lawrence’s decline continues to be exaggerated
Lawrence experienced a pretty significant drop from the 2025 list, in which he was ranked No. 17. He was barely left off the list this time around after a supposed down year. That doesn’t mean his fellow players in the NFL don’t fear and admire him.
Tennessee Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons is one of those admirers.
“I pull my iPad out and I’m like, bro, how?” Simmons said. “Like, how is he throwing guys like this? How?”
This has been a summer of change for Lawrence, who is entering a new chapter in his career whether he wants to accept it or not. The 28-year-old has been a dominant presence in Bengals training camp thus far, and at this rate he’ll be much higher than No. 105 in next year’s ranking.
Motivation is in the air
The Bengals having two players on the doorstep of the NFL’s Top 100 speaks to the talent on this roster that is still being overlooked. Burrow made the list outright, and both Higgins and Lawrence were right there with him. Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t been revealed yet, but will surely end up near the top of the list following another All-Pro season.
Cincinnati retains elite players from last year and has even more pieces to compete at a high level in 2026, Both Higgins and Lawrence now have even more fuel to verify that statement.
