After preseason drops, Bengals’ Chase putting in extra work
Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja’marr Chase dropped four passes in two of Cincinnati’s three preseason games and says he didn’t accomplish what he was hoping to in his first NFL training camp.
“I know I left a lot of stuff out there, but there’s a lot of time for me to get better, of course,” Chase said. “I’m not afraid to get better.”
Coach Zac Taylor never expressed concern for Chase’s inconsistency.
“His approach has remained unchanged in terms of he still has a lot of confidence,” Taylor said. “He comes to practice ready to work, he’s on top of the details that we’re asking him to do, and the rest of it comes with it. I think he’s certainly heading in the right direction.”
The expectations for Chase in the Bengals’ offense are high and the reason for why his drops have been magnified.
While there’s certainly been a lot of questions regarding Chase’s drops, Chase seems to know what’s behind the drops.
“Lack of focus … I didn’t look the ball all the way in, lack of concentration,” Chase said.
Chase refers to himself as a “perfectionist” and has added things to his daily routine to help him get back on track. He’s started catching 40 tennis balls before practice to work on his hand-eye coordination. After practice, he gets on the jugs machine to catch more passes.
It’s not uncommon for wide receivers to go through slumps in which they struggle to catch the ball. Both Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins said it happened to them in their careers.
Chase hasn’t played in a game since Jan. 14, 2019, as he opted out of the 2020 season. Neither Taylor nor Chase said it’s an excuse for his drops, but the wide receiver did cite it as a potential reason for his inconsistency.
“I don’t want to blame it on me sitting on my butt the whole year, but it probably had something to do with it,” Chase said. “There’s a bigger ball adjustment, so I don’t want to make excuses but I just (have to) be a pro and make the catch.”