Tag: Ja’Marr Chase

Chad Johnson, Dez Bryant not worried about Ja’Marr Chase’s drop issues

Some high-profile former pros say not to worry about Ja’Marr Chase.

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By now, the drop issues from Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase are well known.

The fifth overall pick dropped three passes in his team’s second preseason game, all third-down attempts. Those struggles then continued into the team’s first practice after that game, where he dropped some easy ones and vented some frustration.

But some notable names like Dez Bryant and Chad Johnson say Bengals fans shouldn’t worry too much about Chase.

First up was Johnson, the team ambassador for the Bengals who wanted the team to draft Tee Higgins and was also thrilled with the Chase pick. He’s still banking on Chase having a huge year:

Dez was right there in the “not concerned” column too:

The Bengals also say they aren’t worried about it, which makes sense. A kid who didn’t play football last year continues to use preseason time to get back into the swing of things.

If nothing else, Chad and Dez should know and sit as trustworthy sources on the matter.

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As Ja’Marr Chase struggles with drops, did Eagles land the best WR in the draft?

NFL Draft lookback: With Ja’Marr Chase struggling with drops, did the Eagles land the best wide receiver?

During the entire 2021 NFL Draft process, Ja’Marr Chase was the player to watch on everyone’s draft board, but through three weeks of training camp, the Bengals rookie wide receiver has struggled to catch the football.

Expectations are high for the fifth-overall pick and his three drops against Washington on Thursday night have some Bengals fans experts concerned.

While Chase was dropping balls on third down, DeVonta Smith made his preseason debut, hauling in two of his five targets for 19-yards receiving. Smith had one perceived dropped ball on the night, while the other two missed targets were errant throws.

Outside of some bad timing with quarterback Joe Flacco, , Smith drew rave reviews for his route running and release off the line of scrimmage.

Chase struggled with Brandon Allen at quarterback on Thursday, but according to USA Today, the drops have been a consistent theme during Bengals practices.

But there is something to be said about timing with quarterbacks and wide receivers and if Chase and Allen aren’t on the same page, that could contribute to their inability to connect. With that being said, the drops appear to be a pattern for Cincinnati’s first-round pick right now. Chase has dropped passes consistently during training camp, so much so both Taylor and Burrow have addressed questions regarding the play of the receiver.

Chase had the breakout season in 2019 but went a full season without competitive football after opting out in 2020. Smith for his part has been consistent throughout his four years at Alabama, capping his final season off with a Heisman Trophy.

Philadelphia started the process off by agreeing to acquire the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, a fourth-round pick (No. 123 overall), and a 2022 first-round pick from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for the No. 6 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and a 2021 fifth-round pick (No. 156 overall).

The Eagles eventually traded up to No. 10 overall to land Smith in front of the New York Giants.

Through three weeks of training camp, it appears Howie Roseman landed the best and most prepared wide receiver of the two while securing an extra asset or first-round pick by trading back to No. 12 overall.

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Ja’Marr Chase continues to struggle with drops at Bengals training camp

Uno continues to struggle with a new drops issue.

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The drop issues for Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase have made the transition from preseason game to practice field.

Chase struggled with drops in his team’s preseason defeat at the hands of Washington last Friday, dropping all three of his targets — all on third-down attempts by the offense. Those issues continued during a routine Sunday practice.

According to The Athletic’s Jay Morrison, Chase got the first target of 11-on-11 work and dropped a ball that was going right at his chest.

As Paul Dehner Jr. later pointed out, Chase had another big drop in 7-on-7 redzone work, one that resulted in a turnover. He then went to the sideline:

More context:

A later reception also featured a bobble, per ESPN’s Ben Baby:

At this point, one could argue it’s a mental thing for Chase, who has never had this sort of problem at any level of the sport. Some of his drop issues last Friday could be attributed to playing with Brandon Allen, an excuse that went out the window on Sunday.

The Bengals have said they aren’t worried about the issues that popped up in the last preseason game, but this sort of trend could see the rookie playing plenty in the team’s preseason finale.

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Ja’Marr Chase dropped all 3 of his targets in his second preseason game. Nobody freak out.

Ja’Marr Chase is totally lost in the mental game. We’re not freaking out. Not yet.

The Cincinnati Bengals were supposed to have the best receivers group in the NFL, with Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd and the latest addition, Ja’Marr Chase. But if a receiver’s job, as the common adage goes, is to get open and catch the ball, Chase isn’t doing a very good job — so far.

In his second preseason game on Thursday night, he dropped all three of his targets. Three. Consecutive. Drops.

Before we get into defending Chase, let’s put it all out there. Let’s acknowledge his issues, which have already led some people to freak out. Chase’s drop problems are not reserved to this preseason outing. He has had chronic issues since he joined the Bengals as the fifth overall pick. It started in voluntary organized team activities — then persisted into training camp. And, well, we just went over the drops in this preseason game.

Roll the tape.

Bengals coach Zac Taylor stayed positive when asked about Chase.

“He’s getting better every day at a lot of the other details that maybe go unnoticed,” Taylor said after the game, via ESPN’s Ben Baby. “So we’ll just keep looking for improvement there.”

These drops come after a preseason debut last week when Chase’s only catch came on a screen play, which went for 16 yards. Chase has yet to catch a ball beyond the line of scrimmage.

“I’ve got to take it slow,” Chase said earlier this month, via Bengals.com. “I realized this offense is very detailed. I had to take my time. The first couple of days I wasn’t doing so well. Of course. I kept pushing forward. Me sitting out that year, I’m not going to be so fast getting back to my normal self. It’s all mental. It’s all mental right now.”

So that’s the truth. That’s the bottom line. Chase is a physical marvel, capable of catching every ball thrown at him. His elite ball skills are what made him the top receiver drafted in 2021. The Bengals coaching staff needs to take a lesson from Ted Lasso and figure out how to get rid of *whispers* “the yips.” It feels like we’re watching Dani Rojas at the start of season two. (Sorry if that’s an overly obscure pop culture reference.) But to sum it up: It’s all in his head.

It would be less surprising that Chase is nervous and rusty if he hadn’t opted out of 2020 due to concerns over COVID-19. But prior to preseason, he hadn’t played in a game since January 13, 2020. He didn’t even practice last year.

Take it easy, NFL fans.

To everyone in Cincinnati: Don’t give yourself stomach cramps.

Chase is having issues, but with time and good coaching, he should be OK. Stay patient.

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Zac Taylor comments on Ja’Marr Chase’s drop issues

More thoughts on Ja’Marr Chase’s drop issues.

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Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor doesn’t sound overly concerned about the drop issues that plagued fifth-overall pick Ja’Marr Chase on Friday night.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Taylor said it’s something the rookie will have to keep working on, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com:

“We just have to keep working on it. It’s key our receivers do a great job focusing on catching the ball. He’s getting better every day in a lot of the other details that maybe go unnoticed. We’ll just keep looking improvement there.”

And veteran quarterback Brandon Allen put the blame on himself.

“It starts with me being more consistent,” Allen said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, “throwing catchable balls.”

Chase had a trio of drops with the first-team offense against Washington Football Team — all three of them on third downs.

The rookie has been candid about his slow start to camp as he adapts to the game at the pro level after a year away from football. Typical details explain the drops too — he’s not used to working with Allen in the offense and the defense had good coverage.

No word on how much starters will actually play in the team’s preseason finale, but Chase’s drop issues are something all involved would like to have cleaned up by the season opener.

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Ja’Marr Chase struggles with drops in Bengals’ second preseason game

The fifth pick had a tough outing in Washington.

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Cincinnati Bengals rookie Ja’Marr Chase isn’t off to the hot start most envisioned.

After starting slower than anticipated in training camp, the fifth-overall pick this year hit Cincinnati’s second preseason game on Friday night and dropped three passes.

That’s a bit of an oversimplification, as footing, traffic and momentum played a role in the drops. But it’s not something the Bengals or fans probably expected to see from Chase, especially with one of those drops coming on a third-and-8 attempt.

And yet, this is hardly the biggest deal in the world for Chase or the Bengals. He hasn’t played football for more than a year after opting out of last season. The slow start in camp wasn’t concerning and neither are a case of the drops after they’ve never been an issue otherwise in his career.

Zac Taylor spoke on this very subject, per The Athletic’s Jay Morrison:

One other thing to keep in mind about Friday night — Chase just doesn’t seem to have a good connection with Brandon Allen. The timing was off, which makes sense if he’s usually working with the ones in practice with Joe Burrow under center.

In short, it’s not time to panic on Chase. The preseason is for cleaning up these types of issues and knocking the rust off.

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WATCH: Ja’Marr Chase makes incredible toe-tapping TD catch

Watch Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase make an awesome touchdown catch during practice

The Cincinnati Bengals took plenty of criticism for bypassing their needs along the offensive line to spend the No. 5 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft on a wide receiver, but Ja’Marr Chase is doing everything he can to prove they made the right decision.

The latest example? A beautiful, toe-tapping touchdown catch in practice this week.

Reuniting with former LSU teammate Joe Burrow, Chase should immediately establish himself as a dynamic playmaker for the up-and-coming Bengals.

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Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase go viral for funny training camp photo

The dynamic duo for the Bengals just appeared in the best photo from training camp.

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One would think if Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase were to go viral together at Cincinnati Bengals training camp, it would be due to a big touchdown highlight.

Or not.

While Burrow and Chase have had a strong connection at camp as expected, the dynamic duo from LSU went viral for a different reason on Wednesday — thanks to the way they traveled around training camp.

Cincinnati’s social media team shared a hilarious picture of Burrow and Chase driving around on a cart. A silly, small thing, but the internet quickly made it a must-see moment of camp.

For reference, the original photo:

And the internet doing internet things:

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NFLSU: Preseason week one performances for former Tigers

How former LSU Tigers performed in week one of NFL preseason action

Week one of the NFL preseason came and went over the last several days. Plenty of former LSU Tigers were in action and a good amount were held out of the first games of the season.

While Joe Burrow didn’t suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals, Ja’Marr Chase did start out the game at wide receiver. He caught one pass from backup quarterback Brandon Allen that went for 16 yards early on in the game. On Sunday, his former teammate Terrace Marshall Jr got his opportunity.

Marshall was the recipient of three passes. Most of his damage came off a scramble drill where PJ Walker found him for a 60-yard catch and run. A full look at each former player in the opening week of the NFL preseason.

Watch: Ja’Marr Chase makes first NFL catch with Bengals

Uno has arrived.

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The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t waste any time getting fifth-overall pick Ja’Marr Chase the ball on Saturday night.

Making his NFL debut with the Bengals during the team’s Week 1 preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chase took a quick-hitter from Brandon Allen and got up the field quickly.

It was Chase’s only catch of the night, but it was hard not to be encouraged by what he flashed on the vanilla play (ditto for Jonah Williams looking good as a blocker).

The Bengals didn’t play most of their big names on offense after the first drive, but each of the big three wideouts had a catch, topped off by Chase’s big play.

The play in question:

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