Cincinnati Bengals: Ja’Marr Chase Is Taking The NFL World By Storm

Rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase is on a historic pace this season. While his evaluation wasn’t tricky, he’s improved in important areas in 2021 with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“With the fifth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals select….Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU.”

We all remember the words, and the reaction and fallout from fans and analysts. So many questioned what the Bengals were thinking because of Joe Burrow’s injury in 2020 and the lack of commitment to helping the offensive line. Selecting Chase to build chemistry with Burrow over prospects Rashawn Slater and Penei Sewell looked like the wrong move. Then, detractors and reactionary bias Twitter freaked out when Chase was dropping passes in meaningless football games.

Here we sit seven games into the 2021 season. The Bengals are 5-2, Burrow looks like a star, and Ja’Marr Chase is playing at a ridiculous level. He has 35 receptions for 754 yards and six touchdowns thus far, the most through a receiver’s first seven games in history. He’s second in the league in receiving yards and is averaging a monstrous 21.5 yards per reception. The early breakout and chemistry with Burrow has elevated this Bengals team from and up-and-coming group to a potential contender in the AFC.

Should we have seen this coming? A simple answer is yes, that this production was inevitable for a player of Chase’s caliber. As a 19-year-old, Chase lit up the college football landscape en route to helping the LSU Tigers win a national title. His 84/1780/20 line might be the best receiver season of all time. He out-produced Justin Jefferson, who was the OROY runner-up in 2020, not to mention who produced the best rookie receiver season ever, and Terrace Marshall, who was a top 64 pick this past April. From that standpoint, his draft evaluation looks ridiculously simple.

Seeing Ja’Marr Chase as first round talent was simple, but there were still concerns, as no receiver is perfect. Was he a natural separator as a route runner to the tune of a Devonta Smith, a Terry McLaurin, or a Jerry Jeudy? No, and there were times that Chase struggled against gaining separation against press coverage. He would unnecessarily engage and not get into his route quickly, or he’d be delayed because his hand usage didn’t match versus long and strong corners at the collegiate level. That probably turned him off a bit to some evaluators in the draft space.

However, the concerns of him being “just another jump ball” receiver were seriously misplaced. Yes, plenty of his production came in contested spots, but contextually, Joe Burrow wasn’t the greatest deep ball thrower in college and Chase helped him out a lot in that title run. Chase produced in other areas, most notably after the catch, where Chase had impressive straight line speed, a knack for breaking tackles, and the toughness to fight for yardage. He could still win on the slant route, and had the speed and size to stack when working vertically, along with having some of the best hands in the draft. Chase is a good athlete and was still fluid for his size. Everyone freaks out and thinks Laquon Treadwell when seeing jump ball winners (and it’s fair), but he was always more like A.J. Brown.

Through seven games in 2021, it’s clear that Chase has improved in one significant area that’s led to his explosion. When he faces press coverage, he doesn’t look to initiate contact. Rather, he focuses on gaining separation, whether it’s quick on a slant or deep on a go route. His hands stay active and they are well-timed and accurate against corners to avoid jams and stay in his stem and efficient through his route. This one improvement makes separating easy for Chase, and he put Ravens corner Marlon Humphrey in a blender a couple times because of his hand usage.

The improvement for Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t just been a help for his game, it’s also unlocked an improved Joe Burrow as well. Burrow has been more poised this season and looks more comfortable under duress, keeping his eyes downfield. But that chemistry returning gives Burrow more confidence in his deep ball, something that was a serious issue in 2020. Chase consistently winning deep gives Burrow that confidence to attack downfield, and that trust returning is huge for the Bengals.

The quick rise of Ja’Marr Chase is a major player in the Cincinnati Bengals success in 2021, and his early breakout is an indication of his talent, traits, and ability to improve quickly in certain areas of his game. The sky is the limit for him going forward, and there’s no reason he can’t be one of the top receivers in the league very quickly.