Ja’Marr Chase says the knee issue that briefly slowed him down last month is no longer a concern as the Bengals head into the 2026 season.
Chase, Cincinnati’s top weapon, said the missed practices that followed his minor knee hyperextension were only a precaution. He has been a full participant in Week 1 and is set to open the season Sunday against Tampa Bay.
“Feeling good,” Chase said. “I've been having my usual reps the whole time, so it's been nothing different ...
I pretty much stayed the same. I was still walking on my own.
You know what I'm saying. Still doing stuff on my own.
The biggest thing is just making sure my strength is good. So other than that, I was still good.”
That kind of caution fits a player who has been among the league’s best receivers since entering the NFL in 2021. Chase is one of the most heavily targeted receivers on a snap-to-snap basis in NFL history, and if the Bengals offense stays intact, he could chase several statistical milestones this season.
Chase also said he enters each year with the same approach, but this season feels a little different because of the vibe around the team.
“I go into every year with the same mindset. You know what I'm saying.
I feel like the biggest thing for me this year is just the energy from the whole team. I think that's the biggest difference that I could feel,” Chase noted.
His first regular-season media session also produced a light moment when he said he had just learned Sunday’s game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET.
Cincinnati won’t play outside that window again until the Madrid, Spain game on Nov. 8.
"I'm finding out the games are at 1 o'clock. I don't like that.
To be honest, I do not. I do not like playing at 1 o'clock games.
So that means I got to wake up a little earlier than usual," Chase joked.
For the Bengals, the offseason chatter is almost over. Game action arrives in three days, and Chase sounded ready for it.
In Other News...
Cashius Howell Is Suddenly At Center Of Bengals Defensive Hype
Cashius Howell has quickly become one of the most talked-about names around the Bengals defense, and it is easy to see why. Cincinnati used the draft to reshape its front, dealing away its first-round pick to the Giants for Dexter Lawrence before spending its second-round selection on the Texas A&M edge rusher, who arrived with plenty of momentum after being named the 2025 SEC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American.
The early buzz has only gotten louder since then, with CBS Sports analyst John Breech going so far as to project Howell as the 2026 Defensive Rookie of the Year and the Bengals as a playoff team. For a defense looking for impact players who can change the conversation, Howell is already being treated like much more than a mid-round addition, even if the real answer about how fast he can tilt games in Cincinnati still has to play out. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Have An Unexpected New Injury Concern Before Week 1
Week 1 practice brought one of those early-season reminders that the Bengals depth will be tested before the games even count. DJ Turner II showed up on the injury report with a hamstring issue and was limited, while JaMarr Chase and Tee Higgins were both back to full participation as they continue working through their own recoveries. For a team trying to build rhythm right away, getting its top receivers on the field matters, but the attention shifted quickly to the new concern in the secondary.
Zac Taylor also spent time updating the status of several players while talking through the bigger picture of continuity and situational football as the season opener approaches. Those are the kinds of details that tend to matter more once the first kickoff arrives, especially for a Bengals team hoping to avoid any early disruption in a unit that needs all its pieces ready. For now, the key question is how much Turners hamstring affects the week ahead and whether it lingers past the initial practice report. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Defense Faces An Early Test It Might Not Be Ready For
The Bengals linebacker room has become a quiet hinge point for a defense trying to settle in, and rookie Demetrius Knight Jr. and Barrett Carter are at the center of it. Both were asked to grow up fast last season, and as Cincinnati turns its attention to Tampa Bay, their next assignment is a tricky one: keeping pace in coverage against the Buccaneers backfield, where Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell can stress linebackers in different ways.
There has been some encouraging progress, at least from the coaching staffs view. Linebackers coach Mike Hodges has pointed to Knights improved play recognition and greater consistency, signs the Bengals need if they are going to get more dependable play from the middle of the defense. Still, this matchup offers an early reminder that development is one thing and surviving a demanding test is another, especially against a group built to force linebackers to think and react on the move. [Read more 🡒]