Is Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase For or Against Playing in the Preseason? His Answer is 'Yes.'

CINCINNATI – It’s safe to say Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t put a ton of thought into the team-wide benefits of playing starters in the preseason.

He just knows he doesn’t want to do it.

“That’s not up to me,” Chase said after the team’s first OTA practice Tuesday. “If it was up to me, I wouldn’t be out there.”

Not even for a series? Not just to knock some rust off?

“Of course not,” Chase said. “You asked, ‘Do I want to play?’ Not really. Nah, man. I don’t mind like a series, but that’s literally all we do. You don't really feel mentally ready for a game like that. For me. I don't think I do. I'm not gonna speak for everybody else.”

The Bengals started 0-3 last year, 0-2 in 2023, 0-2 in 2022 and are 1-11 in Weeks 1-2 since Zac Taylor arrived in 2019.

Asked why he didn’t think getting some more action in the preseason could change those fortunes, Chase flipped roles and began asking questions that turned into a history lesson.

And a flip flop of philosophy for Chase.

“How did we start my rookie year,” he asked.

3-1.

“Did we play in the preseason?”

One series.

“What about the next year?

0-2.

“Did we play preseason?”

No.

“What about the following year?”

0-2.

“Did we play that preseason?”

No. 

“Sounds like we need to play preseason,” he said. “Y'all just told me the answers.”

Ironically, 2024 saw the offensive starters – excluding Chase due to his contract hold-in – play the most snaps since Taylor’s first season in 2019, yet the 0-3 start was the worst since Taylor’s debut.

Quarterback Joe Burrow, running back Chase Brown and four of the five starting offensive linemen played 12 snaps. Rookie right tackle Amarius Mims played 15. Tee Higgins was in for nine (and caught a touchdown from Burrow).

And yet the 0-3 start was the worst under Taylor since his first year when the team began 0-11 on the way 2-14 to land the right to draft Burrow.

Last year’s 0-3 start kicked off with a dismal 16-10 loss to a New England Patriots team that would go 3-13 the rest of the way.

The Bengals scored 10 points and gained 224 yards that day.

In the 16 games that followed, they averaged 29 points and 375 yards per game.

Chase admitted he wasn’t in the right head space in the opener due to his contract situation.

The Bengals gave Chase and Higgins huge extensions this offseason, Burrow is healthy and every key piece of the offense has been in the building and on the field working throughout the voluntary portion of the offseason.

That could have as much of an impact on playing better in September than playing several series in the preseason.

“They paid me and Tee. Hopefully that's the start of starting fast,” Chase said.