CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Rashard Higgins has been through just about everything since the Browns drafted him in the fifth round back in 2016.
He’s been cut, signed to the practice squad, brought back to the active roster, benched and also seen the Browns lose – a lot.
Things have changed drastically in 2020.
The Browns are 9-3 and atop the AFC Wild Card standings and he’s played a key role in the team’s success.
“It makes everything much sweeter, way much sweeter, knowing that I have been patient and that my time has come now,” Higgins said. “So what it took longer than I expected, it still came and I worked my ass off to get here, and I am not going to stop working.”
Now Higgins appears in line for a contract extension according to a report from Josina Anderson this week that preliminary talks are underway.
“I have not heard anything from my agent about any contracts yet,” Higgins said. “I am just going to continue to work, put my head down and do what I have to do to help this team win.
“I would love to be here. Other than that, I just want to win games. Onto Baltimore, and we have a mission ahead of us.”
That mission is making the playoffs, which just three years ago might have seemed absurd when the Browns were amid the worst 2-year stretch in modern NFL history that saw the team go 1-31 in Higgins’ first 2 seasons.
“I want to get to them playoffs. I want to see what it feels like,” Higgins said, reflecting on a conversation he had with former Browns receiver Taylor Gabriel who made the Super Bowl with the Falcons. “I always want to be in that moment. Whatever I can do to help this team get there, I am all for it. I want to go to the playoffs, I want to win games and I want to see this team prevail and overcome the 0-16.
“I have been here, and to hell with losing. It is not fun.
It is not fun at all. To see the other side of losing, it is amazing. It is a hell of a feeling having nine wins right now.”
With a crowded and tight playoff field, the Browns likely would need to split their final four games to assure themselves of ending the league’s longest drought.
Higgins bet on himself – and the Browns – when he signed a 1-yard deal worth just under $1 million to return in the spring after his rookie deal expired.
It’s paying off.
Higgins has 25 catches for 400 yards and three touchdowns this year. He’s averaging a career-best 16.0 yards per reception as he and Baker Mayfield continue to connect.
“What me and Baker have is special,” Higgins said. “You see that. We put the work in day in and day out. Him knowing what I am good at, but overall, him putting me in position to win. There are routes that he knows that I am good at, and we have those plays in.”
Another difference for Higgins this year is head coach Kevin Stefanski.
“He knows my strengths, and he plays to my strengths,” Higgins said. “That is where I see my role in this offense. As I evolve and I start doing good in the offense, it is because coach knows me now. He knows what I am good at.”
After catching just two touchdowns his first two seasons, Higgins has caught eight of them from Mayfield the last three years.
“Baker at the end of the day, he puts it on the money,” Higgins said. “If someone is above me, he puts it behind me back shoulder or whatever. He gets me open at the end of the day. I make him look good, and he makes me look good.”
Their chemistry is natural and respect for each other apparent.
After Higgins hauled in a 17-yard touchdown to put the Browns in front 31-7Sunday in Nashville, Mayfield sprinted to the end zone, slid and posed as if to take Higgins’ photo as ‘Hollywood’ walked the red carpet in celebration.
“First of all, it is not a barrel roll. It is just a well-executed slide into the red carpet,” Mayfield said. “I had my credentials on and was able to take some good photos. Flawless.”
Higgins appreciated the effort.
“That was pretty impressive,” Higgins said. “I am not even going to lie, it might be the most athletic thing I have ever seen him do, no lie. It was pretty nice, though.”
Higgins has been able to put the dark days behind him and enjoy the moment while not forgetting how difficult the road has been to get where he finds himself now.
The secret to Higgins’ success?
“I had patience, and I kept doing the things that got me into the NFL,” Higgins said. “I keep working hard and keep catching the ball. One of my strengths is catching the ball. I might not be the fastest and I might not be the best route runner, but at the end of the day, I try to catch the ball and I try to catch everything that comes to me because I know that if I could do anything at the end of the day, just the catch the ball when it comes. I see coaches say that if we can count on him to catch the ball, then we can throw him out there and have the upmost faith in him in catching the ball and do it at a high level.”
That drive and determination has allowed Higgins to show that he’s the type of player the Browns want around.
“I try to practice at a high level to let the coaches know this guy wants to be here, this guy is a professional, this guy knows what he is doing and he does it at a high level all of the time,” Higgins said. “I just try to always keep that mindset and know that people would die to be in my shoes.”