Ja'Marr Chase admits he 'left a lot out there' during preseason struggles

Cincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase did not have the strong preseason that he was looking for. The Bengals selected the former LSU star receiver with the fifth overall pick, reuniting him with former collegiate teammate Joe Burrow. Burrow and Chase saw great success together at LSU and are looking to carry that into the NFL. After a shaky first preseason, Chase feels like he left a lot out there during his struggles.

Despite struggles, Chase is always looking to get better

Throughout the preseason, Chase struggled with drops. He never looked confident for the Bengals, which sparked concern throughout the league. Chase opted out of the 2020 college football season, so that could be part of the reason he has struggled in the preseason. As the regular season gets underway, Chase is looking to improve upon his struggles on the Bengals offense.

“I know I left a lot of stuff out there,” Chase said of his struggles in Bengals camp via Around the NFL’s Kevin Patra. “But that’s all in time for me to get better, of course. I’m not afraid to get better. That’s what I’m here for – to work, to get better, make the team better, make the organization better.

“I don’t want to blame it on me sitting on my butt the whole year, but it probably has something to do with it, of course. … Everyone wants to see this and that, but I’m excited to show literally me, myself. I’m excited to do what I came here to do.”

Chase’s ability to rebound from a shaky preseason will be important for him as he enters his rookie season with the Bengals.

Chase, Burrow saw tremendous success as LSU teammates

In 2019, Burrow and Chase proved to be arguably the best quarterback-receiver duo in all of college football. Burrow threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns. Chase hauled in 84 receptions for 1,780 yards and 20 touchdowns. LSU went undefeated and won the national championship. Chase and Burrow are now looking to carry that chemistry to the Bengals.

Burrow’s performance was one of the best by a quarterback in college football history. His go-to target was Chase. If the two can replicate the success they saw at LSU, they could add a huge spark to the Bengals.

The Bengals also have Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd at receiver, but Chase has the ability to add a dynamic and explosive downfield threat to what was one of the NFL’s worst offenses last season. Many experts thought that Cincinnati should have taken an offensive lineman in the first round of the draft to Burrow. Whether or not taking his go-to college target was the right move will be an important factor in Cincinnati’s ability to contend in a loaded AFC North division.