Who Should I Start? Payne Durham or Elijah Higgins

Thursday, August 15, 9:28 AM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Payne Durham (knee) Leaves Joint Practice Early with Knee Issue. On Wednesday, Durham suffered a knee injury during the Buccaneers' joint practice with the Jaguars. According to Buccaneers insider JC Allen, Durham's MRI results were negative, and he is not expected to miss much time. Durham was a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and appeared in 13 games during his rookie season, recording five catches for 58 yards. He played in Tampa Bay's preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals on August 10, where he had two receptions for 27 yards. The Buccaneers won the game 17-14. If Durham cannot participate in the next preseason game, Ko Kieft and Devin Culp will have the opportunity for more reps to compete for the third tight end spot on the 53-man roster behind Cade Otton and Durham.

Monday, September 30, 7:51 AM

Arizona Cardinals tight end Elijah Higgins caught two of his three targets for 12 yards in Sunday's loss to the Washington Commanders. Filling in for the injured Trey McBride (concussion), Higgins had a favorable matchup against a Commanders defense that has struggled in pass coverage this season. However, he failed to capitalize, as the Cardinals managed just 142 passing yards despite shifting to a pass-heavy game script. Although Higgins was on the field most of the snaps, there seemed to be no emphasis on getting him the ball. Given his limited involvement in this opportunity, Higgins remains a long shot as a streaming option next week against the San Francisco 49ers.