Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver Ja’marr Chase believes the team’s starters may need to play in the preseason.
Speaking to reporters during Cincinnati’s OTA offseason training, Chase suggested that the Bengali get off with his right foot this season. The starters may need to play early.
Traditionally, starters have rested to avoid the risk of injury in non-competitive games in the preseason, but the Bengalis can’t afford another dull start that could cost yet another postseason anchorage.
Chase said: “Does it sound like you need to play in the preseason?”
Bengals head coach Zach Taylor also embraced the idea: “What makes me feel good is playing our peers in the preseason.
“It can always change depending on your health and how things go with your team during training camp, but that’s one of the things we’ve spoken openly with players and I think it helps us do that.”
Watch: Ja’marr Chase on the possibility of playing in the preseason
Ja’marr Chase played in the preseason, with a slow start for two minutes.
Does he want to play? not much. Does he get a connection? absolutely.
Last year he said he was on his own head for a week’s defeat. #bengals @fox19 pic.twitter.com/bbvusnqzvn
– Jeremy Rauch (@fox19jeremy) May 27, 2025
Why do the Cincinnati Bengals start slowly?
In six seasons under Taylor, the Bengals went 1-11 in the first two weeks of the campaign, going from 4-13-1 to three weeks.
It simply does not reflect the talent of the team, and the year enjoyed an efficient start in 2021, winning the AFC Championship and reaching the Super Bowl.
A quick start is essential for playoff hopes, and playing a starter in the preseason could be key to unlocking Cincinnati’s promising potential.
Following the release of the Bengals schedule in 2025, the team is pleased to watch a trip to Cleveland to face the Browns in week one.
In 2024, Cincinnati started 0-3 and finished with a 4-13 record, including a week-long loss to the New England Patriots, where first-year head coach Jerod Mayo lost his job.
The slow start is also attributed to the mass of bad luck on the Cincinnati side. Every year since his rookie season in 2020, star quarterback Joe Barrow has suffered serious injuries heading towards the start of the campaign.
Last year, Chase was caught up in a fierce contract negotiation and undoubtedly played a role in his mind. His team skipped all of the team’s training camp workouts. His team worked to ensure the expansion.
This time, it doesn’t become an issue, so Barrow also appears to be in perfect health. Needless to say, Chase fellow Star Wide Outtee Higgins has also signed a new four-year deal with the club worth $115 million.
Everyone is paid, there are no health issues, and Cincinnati can now focus on straight football.
