The Cincinnati Bengals finished their preseason last night, and with that, sights are set on the regular season.
After Joe Burrow said he was tired of the “next year’s our year” mentality, all eyes are on what the Bengals do this time around. But as they prep for the 2026 NFL season, there is a slight concern over the early availability of star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who recently went down with a knee injury.
What Happened To Ja’Marr Chase?
During practice earlier this week, on a deep pass, Chase went up for a catch, but as the DB jumped for the ball, Chase planted his leg and fell, grabbing his knee. Right away, this was extremely worrying for the staff and players to witness, because it happened without any contact.
Fans soon started panicking, and once video of the injury hit social media, the worry was that Chase had suffered a brutal injury. Soon after, it was revealed that the injury was not nearly as serious, and Chase himself said he would get right back to practice if he were allowed to. It seemed that the knee injury was just a hyperextension.
When considering his availability for Week 1, the team and Chase made it known that the star WR should be ready for the regular season.
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He did miss the following practice after the injury occurred, which is something to monitor moving forward, but the confidence that the team has should feel reassuring in this situation.
Obviously, this is incredible news for the Bengals. Last season, even with Joe Burrow dealing with injuries throughout the year, Chase ranked 5th overall in PFN’s WR Impact Metric.
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Chase has shown the ability to step up whenever needed, even if the QB play is really struggling, so an injury taking him out could have really hurt this team, especially if Burrow’s injury luck continues.
Hopefully, Burrow can stay healthy, because it could be a career year for Chase. Health has been a major roadblock for this team, but when the duo of Burrow and Chase are on the field, the Bengals have a chance to make a run in the playoffs and get back to the Super Bowl.
