The Cincinnati Bengals are looking to get back on track in the 2024 NFL season after failing to make the playoffs last season. A major factor in the team’s performance is star receiver Ja’Marr Chase. Chase strategically participated in the Bengals’ practices and activities leading up to the regular season. However, he finally participated with Cincinnati in late August, which may have partly led head coach Zac Taylor to predict that he would be on the team in Week 1. But now things have turned around.
Chase arrived 13 minutes late to practice on Wednesday and showed up in civilian clothes, according to Bengals reporter Kelsey Conway. It doesn’t look like Chase will be practicing after Taylor said he would attend.
Cincinnati and Ja’Marr Chase have been negotiating a contract extension for months but apparently couldn’t agree on a number, so he has limited his contact with the team while he and management work things out. Despite ongoing negotiations, Zac Taylor expressed optimism that Chase would suit up in Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
Chase isn’t the only offensive player Cincinnati relies on, but he plays a crucial role in the team’s success.
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The Bengals selected Chase with the fifth pick in the 2021 draft. The former LSU Tiger made an immediate impact for the Bengals in his rookie year, rushing for career-highs of 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. Chase experienced a slight drop in performance in his second year but remained strong. In the 2022 season, he collected 1,046 yards and nine TDs.
Chase is coming off another strong year, racking up 1,216 yards and seven TDs in 2023. The rising fourth-year receiver is a force to be reckoned with alongside star quarterback Joe Burrow. Hopefully Chase and the Bengals can agree to an extension soon so they can continue their attempt to move up in the AFC in 2024.
Christopher Smith is a sportswriter who primarily covers the Chicago Sky, NBA, NCAA basketball and the NFL for ClutchPoints. A native of Aurora, Illinois, he graduated from Creighton University and is a contributing writer for Last Word on Sports and FanSided.
