Kris

Jenkins Jr.

No surprise here. Higgins did go through pregame warmups and even ran some routes with Jake Browning before the contest, but the doubtful designation was there for a reason. Also inactive for the Bengals are DE Cedric Johnson, OT Amarius Mims (pec), TE Tanner McLachlan and DT Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb). Tanner Hudson (knee) was listed as doubtful, but is active for the contest.

Hudson appears unlikely to recapture his brief 2023 fantasy relevance. The Bengals also ruled out DT Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb) and listed Amarius Mims (pectoral) as doubtful.

Higgins was a long shot to suit up this week after missing multiple practices. His absence puts Andrei Iosivas on the fantasy radar as a flex play. WR Kendric Pryor, Edge Cedric Johnson, OT Amarius Mims (pec), TE Tanner McLachlan, and DT Kris Jenkins Jr. (thumb) round out the rest of the Bengals inactives.

The son of former seven-year Carolina Panthers NT Kris Jenkins (6’3/299) boasts NFL pedigree, though he doesn’t carry quite the same massive 360-pound girth of his titanic old man. After spending two years filling out and getting acclimated to the college game, Jenkins was called upon to fill a starting role on the vaunted Michigan defensive line. He would go on to lead all Power Five defensive linemen with 36 stops in 2022, coming of age with an 81st percentile PFF overall grade for a Michigan team that reached the CFP Playoff. A stout run defender who plays with raw strength that outpaces his frame, Jenkins recorded 83rd percentile run grades in each of his last two seasons. Despite his ability to stack and shed versus the run, the two-time All-Big Ten DL only produced 40 pressures in two seasons with a team-low 2% pressure rate in third-down passing situations. Jenkins is a little undersized at 6’026 (56th%) and 299 pounds (54th%), but he ran extremely well posting times of 1.7s in the 10-yard split (92nd%) and 4.91s in the 40-yard dash. He also backed up the play strength displayed on tape by pushing out 29 bench reps, which tied for the second-most of the DL group, and finishing with a 9 relative athletic score. Jenkins will join a Bengals defensive line graded by PFF as last year’s 15th best pass rush and tenth worst run stopping unit.

Jenkins (6'4/239) could see any number of positions at Michigan, from defensive end to outside linebacker or even defensive tackle or nose tackle, all depending on how his body fills out in the coming years. That was part of the pitch which DC Don Brown has been giving the Olney, Maryland, native. On the 247Sports composite board, Jenkins slots in as the No. 18 prospect in the state of Maryland for the 2020 cycle.