The Bengals keep hearing the 2021 comparisons, and Ja’Marr Chase is not running from them. He’s leaning right into the part of that season Cincinnati needs to rediscover: the big plays, the stress, the feeling that one snap can crack a defense open.
This offseason has felt familiar for a reason. Cincinnati was aggressive in free agency after a rough year, just as it was in 2021 after Joe Burrow’s knee was shredded 10 games into his rookie season in 2020. The schedule has also lined up in a way that rings bells from that year: Week 1 at home against an NFC opponent, Week 3 at Pittsburgh at 1:00, Week 4 at home against Jacksonville.
But the real throwback the Bengals are chasing isn’t the calendar. It’s the offense.
The 2021 team made everything look easy when it came to pushing the ball downfield and stretching defenses until they broke. Chase said that’s exactly where Cincinnati needs to get back to as training camp opens.
“Defenses are adjusting to us,” Chase stated. “That’s what they’re supposed to do. It’s our job for us to get better, be better than last year, and make those adjustments to be more explosive.
“We’ve just got to see it, recognize it and be able to adjust for the next play.”
That 2021 Bengals offense was ruthless against Baltimore, hanging 41 points on the Ravens in both matchups. Burrow threw for 941 combined yards and seven touchdowns in those games, while Chase finished with 15 catches for 326 yards and a touchdown.
Chase said he and Burrow are already working on that element again.
“Me and Joe are already talking about how we can make explosives,” Chase said. “And when I finally get it in camp, it’s just, how can I react to it when I see it in the game?
So, we’re practicing now, and when the game comes, we see it and attack it. And it’s explosive.”
The Bengals have a chance to help that happen. All five starters are back on the offensive line, which could give Burrow more time for deeper routes to develop. If he can stand in the pocket and let Chase get down the field, Cincinnati’s passing game could start looking a lot more like the version that lit up the league in 2021.
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Bengals Camp Just Raised A New Concern In The Secondary
The Bengals got through a physical training camp practice without the usual camp-side drama, but the real story was in the way the secondary kept showing up around the football. Safeties Kyle Dugger and Russ Yeast, along with cornerbacks Brayln Lux and Dax Hill, all turned in noticeable moments during a session that featured plenty of contact and a more business-like feel than the average August workout.
Still, the safety group is starting to carry a little more intrigue because of who was not out there. Isaiah Nwokobia was missing from practice and working through rehab on the side field, joining a list of Bengals sidelined by injury or recovery work that also included B.J. Hill, Eric Kattus and Shemar Stewart. For a defense trying to sort itself out in camp, any absence in the back end can make the competition feel a little less settled than it did a few days ago. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Built A Defense Joe Burrow Can Finally Trust
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For Joe Burrow, the appeal goes beyond names on a list. He has already praised Lawrences impact and pointed to the way the defense has improved around him, which matters for a team trying to keep pace in a loaded AFC. Cincinnati has spent plenty of time over the years talking about offensive firepower, but this feels different, with the front office clearly betting that a sturdier defense can make the Bengals more complete when the games start to matter most. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Camp Debate Keeps Growing Around One Thin Position Group
As training camp rolls into its second week, the Bengals still have not brought in a veteran linebacker, and the conversation around that spot is only getting louder. It is the kind of roster question that tends to hover over camp when a team is trying to sort out whether it has enough proven depth in a position group that can quickly show its cracks.
NFL.coms recent look at available options pointed to Kyle Van Noy as a name that could make sense, citing his experience and recent production, while Bobby Wagner also came up as another high-profile possibility. Cincinnati has not made that move yet, but the longer the market sits there, the more the discussion feels like one of the camps lingering debates rather than a passing thought. [Read more 🡒]