Tee “Big Game,” Higgins, who is set by the bye week to become the 11th Bengal ever to catch 5,000 yards, has a 100-yard Super Bowl and is one of the highest-paid receivers in the game, says he's learning things this spring from Andrei Iosivas.

All of which is no surprise to Iosivas, the Bengals' underrated third-year third receiver still looking for his first 100-yard game but not respect among his peers.

"I think everybody kind of sees me as one of the leaders in the room," says Iosivas after one of those sessions he's one of the last guys off the practice field, where he's also the first to help.

"Some of the younger guys want to learn. Whoever wants to get the work. I'm always willing to teach people," Iosivas says. "I don't mind when there are more people. It helps me to understand it, too, when I teach it."

Iosivas, the Princeton product, isn't exactly splitting the atom out there. It's simply the sweaty extra work on the most basic of receiver fundamentals. Anywhere between 30 and 45 minutes after the workout, Iosivas rinses and repeats.

Speed cuts with one-step speed-outs. Hammer steps, 1-2-3 while sensing when to trigger during a curl break. A few rocker steps. Or running full speed directly at a thrown ball while maintaining his sub 4.4ish quickness.

"Just staying well-oiled," Iosivas says. "Everything comes down to fundamentals."

Troy Walters, his receivers coach, isn't surprised, either. While the Bengals have U-Hauled Ja’Marr Chase all over the offense and discovered a Triple Crown path, Walters has watched Iosivas' quiet grind blossom inside and outside with 10 touchdowns on 51 career catches.

"That's the thing with Andrei. He can play all three positions. So when we move Chase (into the slot), we can put him outside and (Joe Burrow) is confident he'll be able to get open," Walters says. "His position flexibility and versatility really help this team a lot and really goes unnoticed."

It's hard to get noticed when the starting receivers are making more than most receiver rooms, and tight end Mike Gesicki is so good that last year's 65 catches can also be classified as the riches of a No. 3 receiver. It leaves Iosivas with fewer opportunities but not bigger goals.

This offseason, Iosivas returned to wide receiver specialist Drew Lieberman's training regimen in Atlanta, and it wasn't so much about the output, but the outlook after last year's 479 yards on 36 catches.

"Let's say I get the same amount of receptions. I want to do more with those receptions than I did last year," Iosivas says. "Say 250 more yards. I had 500 last year. That's 650 to 700 being the third option. That's not bad."

It's always all good with Iosivas. Here's a guy who looks like a movie star poured into a 6-3 vat of Olympian athletic skills to go with Ivy League brains, and an everyman's personality. Lieberman calls him "Batman."

If that doesn't make you feel envious, how about this?

The guy puts on about 15 pounds over the offseason and finds out he's better than ever at 220.

"I think it's helping me," Iosivas says. "I'm stronger out of my breaks. Quicker. I can put more power into the ground so I can push off faster. People's bodies are built differently. When I put on the weight, it was beneficial to me. Not detrimental. I'm still fast. If I'm the same speed, but heavier, who cares? Run through some tackles."

YAC is a priority for Iosivas this offseason. Those 250 yards have to come from somewhere. Lieberman, who shot to local fame last year as the trainer who helped shape the break-out sophomore years of Iosivas and running back Chase Brown, didn't change much this time around when he got Iosivas again for the eight weeks that led into the Bengals' voluntary offseason workouts.

For Lieberman, an interesting sort himself who got saved from a career in sports writing, the position is as much about approach, as well as fundamentals. Lieberman, once the youngest assistant coach in the Big Ten at Rutgers before he gave up coaching to shoot for a master's in writing at his alma mater of Wesleyan University, still works his metaphors.

He calls Iosivas "Batman," comparing his rise from Ivy anonymity, the draft's sixth round, and stacked receiver room to the Cape Crusader's various comebacks. He works hard on the mental aspect of the grind and sees Iosivas flowering there, too, after tough days on the field.

"This isn't happening because you're making mistakes. It's happening because you're pushing yourself so hard," Lieberman says. "He's had to learn to distinguish between those two. When you push yourself past being comfortable so much, you're going to fail. But hopefully the game feels easier. He's doing a great job."

Lieberman knows because, well, he says Iosivas is "obsessed" with being great, and just a few days ago around midnight he texted Lieberman five clips of practice.

Lieberman, a former Wesleyan quarterback who blew out his shoulder before being inspired to get into coaching by alum Bill Belichick's picture on the wall, is used to hearing from Iosivas at all hours. This week is pretty typical. They broke down some of his moves, and how he maybe could have come out lower in some of his breaks. Or maybe on one catch, how to get his hands up and out sooner.

"He could be a 1A or 2 receiver anywhere," Lieberman says. "He's going to become one of the league's great receivers. He's going through a beautiful thing with two great receivers ahead of him. It keeps him humble and builds him strong internally."

Meanwhile, Iosivas puts his head down and is glad to take people along with him. He brought Bengals wide receivers Charlie Jones and Kendric Pryor to Atlanta for this offseason, and undrafted rookie receiver Jordan Moore apparently plans to join them when the Bengals break for the summer next week.

Walters knows what to expect when Iosivas returns next month.

"He always comes back better than when he left," Walters says. "A lot of times he gets overlooked. A lot of the targets don't come his way, but the one thing I can say, when they did come his way, he was ready. He made plays. There will be times in different games when they're going to try and take away Tee and Ja'Marr and he's going to be the focus.

"He just has to continue to make plays when called, and there'll be opportunities to have a bigger role at some point this year."

Until then, look for Iosivas to keep coming off the field about a half-hour after most everybody else.

"Just staying well-oiled," he says again.