Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase is the favorite for 2023 Offensive Player of the Year
The first two years of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's career have been so phenomenal, there isn't much that he can do to improve. Not many 23-year old pass-catchers can say the same. On top of leading the Bengals in receiving in back-to-back years (despite missing four games with a hip injury this past […]
The first two years of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase's career have been so phenomenal, there isn't much that he can do to improve. Not many 23-year old pass-catchers can say the same.
On top of leading the Bengals in receiving in back-to-back years (despite missing four games with a hip injury this past season), Chase made the Pro Bowl in each season and is entrenched in the elite tier of receivers around the league.
Chase wants to break every Bengals receiving record in existence. He might as well break a 40+ year drought while he's at it.
According to SumerSports, current betting odds have Ja'Marr Chase with the highest implied probability of winning Offensive Player of the Year over the likes of former LSU teammate Justin Jefferson, Christian McCaffrey, and any other offensive playmaker that comes to mind.
Jefferson took home the award last year following a dominant campaign that featured a league-leading and career-high 128 catches and 1,809 receiving yards.
If Chase makes it two-straight LSU Tigers to earn the accolade, he'd be the first Bengals player to do so since quarterback Ken Anderson in 1981. Anderson notably was the NFL MVP that year as well, and remains the only Bengal to win either award.
If you're wanting to wager on who wins the award this early, Jefferson and McCaffrey would give you a bigger payoff compared to Chase. But there's a strong case to support Chase emerging as the eventual winner come next February.
Chase's ability speaks for itself. The number of receivers who possess his combination of speed, strength, and hands is very small. He's been clear Pro Bowl selections the last two years, and was a second-team All-Pro in 2021. Had he stayed healthy last year, he would've at least earned that distinction again.
The former fifth-overall pick dealt with more than a bad hip last year. Opposing defenses cracked down on his explosive plays and deep targets, making it harder for him to replicate the success he had as the Offensive Rookie of the Year back in 2021.
Cincinnati finding more creative ways to get their most explosive option free down the field will help him better stack up to his elite peers. And as long as Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd line up alongside of him, he has the advantage of attention being drawn away from him.
Chase will undoubtedly need to top his previous two seasons to become the second player in franchise history to win the award. If everything clicks like it should for the Bengals, he just might do it.
Watch: Ja’Marr Chase highlights from Bengals minicamp
He’s in midseason form.
Featured image via © Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
