Ja’Marr Chase is heading into the 2026 season with a new label attached to him: the NFL’s best wide receiver.
That’s the view from Sports Illustrated’s NFL team, which unveiled its top 10 receivers and put the Bengals star at No. 1.
Behind Chase, the list came in with Puka Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Justin Jefferson, CeeDee Lamb, Amon-Ra St. Brown, George Pickens, A.J.
Brown, Drake London and Nico Collins.
It’s another nod to what Chase has already built into his resume. The Bengals’ top weapon is coming off a 2025 season in which he caught 125 passes for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns.
“Chase has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in all five of his NFL seasons, including in 2022 when he was only on the field for 12 games,” Karl Rasmussen wrote. “Chase is quarterback-proof.
Even when Joe Burrow has been sidelined by injuries, the Bengals’ star receiver still produces at a high level. Since he debuted in the NFL in 2021, Chase ranks second among all receivers in yards (6,837), receptions (520) and touchdowns (54).
The 26-year-old kept a relatively quiet profile this offseason, stayed out of the spotlight and was working hard away from the facility. He also looked to be in elite shape when he showed up for minicamp last month.
Chase talked in February about the way he approaches his offseason work.
“I try to change it up a little bit. Work on new things, new cons that I have, and always fix the pros that I have before the season starts,” Chase said.
“So it should always be something new I feel like I should work on every offseason… I got a good trainer. So a lot of my work comes from my trainer.
I tell him what I want to work on. He sets me up in the right direction with whom I want to meet, talk to, sit down and watch a film with.
He definitely helps me with that, too.”
Chase is also one of the league’s highest-paid receivers, and that long-term deal gives him plenty of peace of mind entering the year.
If the offense around him can stay healthy, the path is there for Chase to put together his best season yet.
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