Ja’Marr Chase makes it known what he’s pushing the Cincinnati Bengals to do in free agency
Cincinnati’s offseason plans are on the mind of Ja’Marr Chase.
Joe Burrow spent this time last year campaigning for the Cincinnati Bengals to sign Ja’Marr Chase and his other elite teammates. Now it’s Chase’s turn to do some lobbying.
In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show at Radio Row this week, Chase revealed he’s communicated with head coach Zac Taylor about what the Bengals need to do this offseason.
“Hopefully the organization’s going to it right now, hopefully,” Chase told McAfee. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows what we need. I’m not going to say what we need, but I talked to Zac [Taylor] about that.
“I’m definitely pushing, you know what I’m saying, to get something good for the defensive side. We just need something, of course, you know, somebody.”
Ja’Marr Chase uses his voice to reinforce Cincinnati’s desperate need
It’s one of the NFL’s worst secrets that Cincinnati will be pursuing free agents to bolster its defense. Much like in 2021, when Chidobe Awuzie, Trey Hendrickson, Mike Hilton, and Larry Ogunjobi were brought in from the open market, the Bengals will be eyeing veterans to fill needs on all three levels to fulfill defensive coordinator Al Golden’s vision.
Chase wants to make sure that side of the ball has at least one difference-maker. The mentioning of “somebody” could be alluding to a top target.
Hendrickson has been Cincy’s defensive star the last five years, and the 31-year old is likely on his way out next month. replacing his impact as a pass-rusher will be difficult on its own, but Hendrickson was also the main source of big plays when the Bengals needed them the most.
Teams pay a premium for those players, no matter the position, but especially along the defensive line.
Chase sounds like he’s pushing for that kind of guy, and he’s the right person to say it.
While it was virtually inevitable for Cincinnati to extend Chase to the largest contract a receiver has ever signed, that Chase is now locked in for the foreseeable future and making the second-highest salary to Burrow grants him the platform to publicly push the Bengals to better the roster around him. He’s the NFL’s leader in receptions (252), receiving yards (3,120), and receiving touchdowns (25) since 2024. Cincinnati has only won 15 of the 33 games he’s played in during this stretch.
Again, it’s not a mystery as to what the Bengals need to do next month. The checkbook needs to be brought out to fix the defense as much as possible. Chase, and everyone else in the Queen City, is counting on it.
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