Burrow, Taylor not concerned with Chase's preseason struggles

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase Sam Greene via Imagn Content Services, LLC

Joe Burrow, Zac Taylor not concerned with Ja'Marr Chase's preseason struggles

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 8/30/21

Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase had an awful preseason, and some fans are already calling the fifth overall pick a bust before playing a single regular-season game.

Despite his struggles, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow aren't concerned just yet.

Joe Burrow on Ja'Marr Chase dropping his one target:

"I'm not worried about it. I know the kind of guy and player Ja'Marr (Chase) is."

Said he's confident Ja'Marr will be ready to go week one. #Bengals @fox19
— Jeremy Rauch (@FOX19Jeremy) August 29, 2021

Zac Taylor shrugging off any concerns about Ja'Marr Chase's drops in the last two preseason games. Said those who have been at practice (aka us) have seen some great plays from him.
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) August 29, 2021

Back in Week 2 of the preseason, Chase failed to secure any of the three targets that came his way. Then in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, he dropped the only look he got the entire game.

Chase entered the NFL with high expectations out of LSU. He was the highest-selected wide receiver in this year's draft after leading the FBS with 1,780 receiving yards in 2019 and setting a then-record 20 touchdown receptions.

Last week, Taylor said he was still optimistic about Chase's future in the NFL despite all the drops. The head coach said, "He's just going through some of the things rookies go through in training camp, and we expect him to improve over the course of this week."

Taylor added Chase's difficulty getting acclimated to the NFL could be because he had not played since 2019 but didn't know if that was exactly the case.

Careers are not made in the preseason, and Chase has the entire 2021 campaign to prove that the Bengals were not wrong in taking him, instead of someone to protect Burrow, in the draft.

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