Ja'Marr Chase describes what he likes best about Jake Browning
Ja'Marr Chase was still preparing for the NFL Draft when Joe Burrow suffered his first season-ending injury back in 2020. Three years later, Chase is now experiencing life without his college quarterback getting him the ball for the first time since high school. No receiver knows Burrow better than Chase, and for the next several […]
Ja'Marr Chase was still preparing for the NFL Draft when Joe Burrow suffered his first season-ending injury back in 2020. Three years later, Chase is now experiencing life without his college quarterback getting him the ball for the first time since high school.
No receiver knows Burrow better than Chase, and for the next several weeks, he'll have to get to know Jake Browning a lot more on the field.
Luckily, Browning seems to have made good first impressions on the two-time Pro Bowl receiver.
While making an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Chase bestowed some high praise of Browning's intangibles when asked what he's seen from the Bengals' new starter under center.
"Yeah, for the most part, he shows he's a fighter," Chase said of his new quarterback. "I think that's the main thing that we need in a quarterback is a fighter. He doesn't give up, and he's always trying to make a play. And he does it with his legs and he does it through the air."
That sounds a bit familiar.
While no one would mistake Browning for Burrow on the field, the two seem to share the same willingness to hold the ball and keep plays alive, and maybe take a hit or two. It's how many of the Bengals' biggest moments over the past two years have occurred; with Burrow finding plays down the field and putting his body on the line.
Browning didn't have a ton of success in this regard during his starting debut last week, but his play style seems to resonate well with his No. 1 wideout. Add Browning's preparedness to the list as well.
"Him coming in and just knowing the plays," Chase said of experiencing Browning in the huddle. "Because the plays are a lot, maybe they get a little longer here and there. It's up to him knowing those. And even if he messes up, some guys are still there to help him, make sure it's corrected. If it's not on him, then it's on our part to know it ourselves."
The reps Browning earned back in the Summer when Burrow was initially dealing with his calf injury have certainly helped him get to this moment. He knows his system better than most backups around the league, and his natural play-style is reminiscent of the starter as well.
Is that enough to get winning football out of him? We've got six weeks to find out.
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