The Cincinnati Bengals are currently without one of their brightest stars on the practice field. Ja'Marr Chase is holding out of practice as he seeks a contract extension with the team. Bengals QB Joe Burrow was optimistic on how Chase's holdout is impacting the Bengals at training camp.
“I’d also say that him not being out there right now is great for our younger guys,” Burrow said on Up & Adams with Kay Adams. “We know what Ja’Marr’s going to do on the field when he comes back, the chemistry that we have, but a lot of guys that we’re getting reps with right now, we don’t have those reps invested like me and Ja’Marr do. So it’s nice to build that chemistry, create that dialogue with those guys and for those guys to continue to grow and improve and it’s been fun to watch.”
The team's young wide receivers like Andrei Iosivas, Charlie Jones, and rookie Jermaine Burton are the biggest beneficiaries.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor was also positive about Chase's holdout.
“Ja’Marr effects the chemistry on the team in a positive way,” Taylor said. “When your star player has the energy and the enthusiasm that he does, whether he’s out there with a ball cap on or in the meeting room, or in the locker room, Ja’Marr has an effect on the team that’s genuinely positive. He wields that the right way and can really sway the mood of the locker room and I really appreciate that, so he and I are on the same page and he’s easy to communicate with.”
That being said, Burrow is coming off a wrist injury from last season. It will be interesting to see how him not getting reps with Chase will that impact the Bengals early in the season.
The Bengals long-term needs at wide receiver as still an open question
Cincinnati may be set at wide receiver in 2024, but they have some work to do next offseason.
Even if you assume that Ja'Marr Chase and the Bengals agree to an extension before the regular season, the future prospects aren't great.
The Bengals WR situation is tricky because Tee Higgins wants out after not reaching a long term deal, and getting franchise tagged. He explained why he decided to sign his franchise tag earlier this summer to ESPN's Ben Baby.
“Obviously there wasn't no moves being made upstairs,” Higgins said. “So I pretty much knew this [is] what it was and I was just like, ‘I'm going to go ahead and just sign it and just kill all the noise and just get everybody off my back.'”
The Bengals should assume they will be without Higgins in 2025.
That would leave Cincinnati with Ja'Marr Chase and a bunch of currently unknown entities. Jermaine Burton and Andrei Iosivas have good potential, but it is hard to imagine either of them ascending to WR2.
We can't wait to see how these young wide receivers perform on the gridiron later this fall!
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