Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has already become a star in the NFL. Chase had one of the greatest rookie seasons in league history. Ultimately, it ended with him taking home Rookie of the Year.
The Bengals added Ja’Marr Chase with the fifth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
During the regular season, he recorded 81 receptions for 1,445 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.
Ja'Marr Chase finished the season with the third-most receiving touchdowns and fourth-most receiving yards.
Through the success that he has already found, Chase has landed himself on several players' top-five receivers list.
As the Bengals made their Super Bowl run, Chase played a significant role in their postseason success. During the four playoff games the Bengals appeared in, Chase hauled in 25 receptions for 368 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Even with the success that Ja'Marr Chase had during his rookie season, he was used in a pretty stable way within the offense. The Bengals placed him largely on the outside and allowed him to go to work.
This upcoming season, the Bengals seem to have a different plan for their star wide receiver. There’s even talk of using him out of the backfield alongside quarterback Joe Burrow.
Recently, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver coach Troy Walters spoke on how they plan to utilize Chase this upcoming season. Walters stated, according to Geoff Hobson of the Cincinnati Bengals website, “He's going to be all over the field, We're going to use him as many ways as we can. He's a quick learner … That's what great players want to do.”
Walters went on to say, “They want to play everywhere. They understand the value of moving around and how you stress defenses sometimes in the slot. You don't want defenses to focus on you. He's embraced that challenge. Just find a way to create mismatches.”
Ja'Marr Chase has already proven that he can single-handedly disrupt a defense. He and Joe Burrow have a connection that goes all the way back to their collegiate days at LSU. The pair is a threat, but Chase being utilized in a bigger way could make this group even better.
Chase also spoke about how he will move around this upcoming season. When talking about how he will be used within the slot, Chase stated, “It's going to make our offense more explosive. If we sit in there like robots and stay in the same position, they're going to expect what's coming. That's why you move around.”
The Bengals know that by getting the ball into Chase’s hands, they are getting the best chance to succeed. Opposing defenses know this too. But most defenses don’t have the firepower to stop a receiving core consisting of Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd.
Ja'Marr Chase explained how by being used in the slot, he could fall into even more favorable matchups. He said, “It gives me more space to get open. The majority of the time the middle of the field is open and you get matched up on a linebacker or safety. If I'm inside, I've got to adjust to different techniques of the nickel, the safety, the linebacker, knowing when I need to cross his face, knowing when not to.”
Ja'Marr Chase could find himself in a similar role to that of Deebo Samuel in San Francisco. Given the skill set that Chase has, the Bengals can't go wrong with how they choose to deploy him against defenses.
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