Chase: Preseason a factor in Bengals' slow starts

CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase took a leafage retired of a reporter's notebook connected Tuesday.

In the mediate of an interview, helium started asking questions to find an reply that has eluded the Bengals for respective years. When asked astir whether playing successful the preseason could assistance Cincinnati lick its dilatory starts, Chase eyed the semi-circle of media members surrounding his locker and started rattling disconnected a bid of questions with a elemental premise - what were the records for the Bengals successful the archetypal 2 weeks of the play and however overmuch did Cincinnati signifier successful the preseason?

In manager Zac Taylor's six seasons, the Bengals person sparingly utilized starters successful preseason games. During that span, Cincinnati has a 1-11 record, the worst successful the NFL. After moving reporters done the slew of 0-2 starts to aggregate seasons, Chase wrapped up his questions and arrived astatine a conclusion.

"Sounds similar we request to play successful the preseason, huh?" Chase quipped aft the team's archetypal voluntary OTA.

Cincinnati's starters person seldom seen the tract successful the team's accumulation contests preceding Week 1. Last year, violative starters lone played the opening bid of the team's preseason opener against Tampa Bay. The lone different occurrence was successful the 2021 preseason finale, a three-play series that featured a Chase dropped walk connected a surface walk that astir felt forgotten.

"It wasn't a large screen," Chase recalled, drafting a fewer laughs. "I retrieve what happened now."

But the mode Cincinnati has started each of the past six seasons has drawn thing but smiles. Last season, the Bengals went 0-3 to commencement the year, including a Week 1 nonaccomplishment to the New England Patriots, which finished the play with a 4-13 grounds that resulted successful manager Jerod Mayo's firing aft 1 year.

But that decision besides sums up immoderate of the issues that person plagued the Bengals astatine the opening of each season. For starters, backmost Joe Burrow has dealt with a superior wounded successful each twelvemonth but his rookie play successful 2020, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last play besides featured Chase's archetypal extended on-field enactment aft a declaration quality that prompted him to skip each of the team's grooming campy workouts.

"I could accidental I wasn't mentally acceptable to beryllium connected the field," Chase said connected Tuesday. "I was successful my ain head. You cognize what I'm saying? I wanted to play, but I was successful my ain head."

As with each season, the Bengals yet made amends for their dilatory start. But adjacent with a 9-8 wide record, those aboriginal losses were a large crushed wherefore Cincinnati missed the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year, contempt vocation years from respective apical players.

Last week, Taylor suggested the mode the squad volition grip preseason games volition alteration successful 2025.

"The 1 happening I bash consciousness bully astir is playing our guys successful the preseason," Taylor said. "That's ever taxable to change, depending connected wellness and however things spell with our squad during grooming camp, but that's 1 happening that we've openly talked astir with our players, and I deliberation volition assistance america arsenic we bash it."

That won't beryllium the lone antithetic dynamic this year. Chase nary longer has to interest astir his declaration presumption aft the squad signed him to a four-year woody worthy $161 million. The mean yearly wage is the highest for a non-quarterback successful league history.

Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins besides received a declaration hold this offseason. Instead of playing connected the franchise tag for a 2nd consecutive year, Higgins earned a four-year woody worthy $115 million.

"Hopefully that's the commencement of (starting fast)," Chase said.

As with each year, Chase volition person lofty idiosyncratic goals for the upcoming season. But the superior absorption is getting the Bengals backmost to the apical of the AFC North.

"My biggest happening this year, going forward, is making the playoffs, man," Chase said. "We got to get to the playoffs. That's my archetypal step, but (the) squad extremity is to triumph the division."