Tee Higgins: Not the Average Sidekick

The contracts are signed and both Bengal receivers got paid. Is Tee Higgins just a Robin, or is he a Batman in disguise?

Josh Fahlsing's Tee Higgins: Not the Average Sidekick Josh Fahlsing Published 06/10/2025

Tee Higgins and the NFL's Greatest Robins (i.e., No. 2 receivers)

I can't lie. I was really looking forward to Tee Higgins leaving the Cincinnati Bengals and becoming the alpha receiver in someone else's passing game. I didn't think there was any way he'd return to play Robin to Ja'Marr Chase's Batman for another season, let alone sign an extension. But much like Gotham itself, nothing with the Bengals is ever quite predictable.

RELATED: See all of our 2025 Player Spotlights here.

It got me thinking. Where does Higgins stack up among the best Robins in NFL history? What kind of production can we expect from a player who could be Batman on another team, but instead chose to stay in Ohio and continue playing the sidekick?

© Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Tee Higgins

What Makes a Great Robin?

For this discussion, a Robin is a high-end No. 2 wide receiver who plays opposite an even more dominant No. 1. These are players with alpha-level talent but who share an offense with a bigger dog.

So who fits that mold? To answer that, I looked back at wide receiver duos since 2000 who played together for at least three seasons, where the second option was clearly good enough to lead a passing attack on another team. We're not just talking about productive No. 2 receivers. We're talking about wideouts who could have been a team's WR1 if not for sharing the field with a superstar.

BatmanRobinTeamPeak Robin
Marvin HarrisonReggie WayneIND2003-2006
Isaac BruceTorry HoltLAR2000-2003
Larry FitzgeraldAnquan BoldinARI2004-2009
Mike EvansChris GodwinTB2019-2023
Randy MossWes WelkerNE2007-2010

We're not comparing Higgins to the best wide receiver twos of the past 25 years. We're comparing him to players who had the skill to be a true No. 1 but happened to share the spotlight.

Let's look at the numbers.

2003-2006ReceiverCatchesYardsTDs
BatmanMarvin Harrison357489749
RobinReggie Wayne314441333

Wayne is a textbook Robin. He played across from a future Hall of Famer and benefited from the defensive attention Harrison drew. His numbers were nearly on par with Harrison's, but it was always clear who the lead dog was.

2005-2008ReceiverCatchesYardsTDs
BatmanLarry Fitzgerald368519538
RobinAnquan Boldin345449631

Boldin, like Wayne, had to share targets with a future Hall of Famer. Yet he still produced like a borderline No. 1 wide receiver. Their tandem worked because Boldin was able to carve out his own production despite Fitzgerald's dominance. 

2000-2003ReceiverCatchesYardsTDs
BatmanIssac Bruce299463327
RobinTorry Holt371599629

Holt is an interesting case. He was technically the Robin, but he led Bruce in every major category during this span. That was just the nature of the Greatest Show on Turf. Either receiver could explode on any given Sunday.

2019-2022ReceiverCatchesYardsTDs
BatmanMike Evans288432241
RobinChris Godwin353429924

Godwin also flipped the script at times, finishing with more receptions and nearly as many yards as Evans during their four-year run. He may not have had the red zone dominance, but his week-to-week volume was elite.

2007-2009ReceiverCatchesYardsTDs
BatmanRandy Moss250376547
RobinWes Welker346368815

Moss was the touchdown machine, but Welker was the chain mover. Game to game, either could carry the offense depending on the scheme and matchup.

How do Higgins and Chase Compare?

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