Ja’Marr Chase’s place on the NFL Top 100 took a sharp hit this year, and the drop is impossible to miss. After being ranked fourth last year, the Bengals star landed at No. 16 on the 2026 list, a steep slide for a receiver who just turned in another elite season.
The ranking looks even more jarring next to what Chase actually did in 2025. He was named AP second-team All-Pro after piling up 125 catches for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns. Along the way, he became the third player in NFL history to post at least 125 receptions in back-to-back seasons and set a Bengals single-season record with seven 100-yard receiving games.
For Cincinnati, it’s another reminder that the respect around the league hasn’t matched the production on the field. The Bengals have missed the playoffs in three straight seasons, and Chase may not be the only player from the roster showing up on this year’s NFL Top 100, which is voted on by active players.
Joe Burrow also slid hard, checking in at a career-low No. 44 after a much stronger spot in 2025.
Chase has already made clear he understands the pressure on this group, especially after Cincinnati invested heavily on defense this offseason. In June, he said, "At the end of the day, we got to the Super Bowl in '21 and never went back," Chase said in June.
"So, expectations have always been high since 2021. But now that we have improved our defense a little more, the expectations have gone up for the defense to show us what they could do."
He also praised the way the team attacked the offseason and said the new additions have sent a message.
"The moves they made are showing us they want to be with us, too," Chase said. "They want to push us and help us be at the next level where we know we could be at, that we know we needed."
The timing adds a little extra edge, too. Cincinnati is set for its most intense training camp practice of the summer tomorrow against the Chicago Bears, with Chase continuing to work quietly and strongly through his sixth NFL camp.
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