Bengals: Ja'Marr Chase receives massive motivation from All-Pro receiver
It's a scary to imagine Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase being even better than he is now. That is, if you're an opposing cornerback. In just two years, Chase has already established himself as one of the premier offensive weapons in the NFL. Judging by the tape and the stats alike, he's a top five […]
It's a scary to imagine Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase being even better than he is now. That is, if you're an opposing cornerback.
In just two years, Chase has already established himself as one of the premier offensive weapons in the NFL. Judging by the tape and the stats alike, he's a top five receiver right now.
Unless you ask Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams.
Adams was put on the spot during an episode of the I Am Athlete podcast, and gave his top five receivers playing right now. He proceeded list all the logical names aside from Chase. Here's the full list:
- 1. Adams
- 2A. Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
- 2B. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
- 3. Stefon Diggs, Buffalo Bills
- 4. Calvin Ridley, Jacksonville Jaguars
- 5A. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- 5B. Ceedee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
There's no doubt that Chase is on the level of every player listed above. That he didn't get the nod over the likes of Ridley, who didn't even play last year, and Lamb, who has had just one year of truly elite production, is a bit eye-popping.
Including postseason action, Chase is second in receiving touchdowns, fifth in receiving yards, and sixth in receptions since his rookie season in 2021. His yards per reception is also greater than all six of the receivers Adams mentioned. And he's racked up these numbers despite missing four games with a hip injury in 2022.
He's also made the Pro Bowl in both years, and was a Second-Team All-Pro as a rookie. There's simply more evidence for him being in the top five than there is for the contrary.
Where Chase can improve is in the areas that Adams seems to value the most. The three-time All-Pro defended his ranking of Ridley, despite missing a year of playing, because of how consistent he is as a route runner.
"At receiver, you know, we don't control everything, so we control our tape. Watch the boy's tape," Adams said of Ridley. "He's out there doing stuff to people consistently with routes. He don't give nobody a break."
While Chase is not a bad route runner by any stretch of the imagination, adding more refinement in that area of his game will allow his production to sustain itself, and bring another layer of consistency regardless of what defenses do to contain him.
Cincinnati is looking for more consistency out of the passing game after spending the first half of last year troubleshooting scheme. Defenses were forcing Joe Burrow and Co. to beat them underneath, and a lackluster running game only added more pressure.
Once answers were found, the results spoke for themselves, and were also reflected in Chase's production. In his final seven games of the regular season, Chase racked up 703 yards and seven touchdowns, essentially 100 yards and a score per week. And this was before and after he suffered a hairline fracture to his hip.
The last time we saw him, he was doing things like this against the eventual Super Bowl champs in the playoffs.
The idea that there are six receivers better than Chase right now is hard to fathom, but if Chase needs any motivation to undoubtedly solidify himself in the upper tier, this list might just do it.
