Bengals: 5 things to watch in preseason Week 1 vs Buccaneers

Cincinnati Bengals Preseason Week 1 – What to Watch

2. Can Ja’Marr Chase reverse the training camp narrative?

Jackson Carman hasn’t been the only rookie struggling to adjust to the rigours of the NFL.

First-round selection Ja’Marr Chase has punctuated his reps with several drops. It wasn’t much of a problem for Chase in college. He was targeted 118 times in his last college football season (2019), with only five drops per PFF.

In all likelihood, it’s a combination of camp nerves and rustiness, having missed an entire year of competitive football. Paul Denher Jr. of The Athletic also pointed out that Chase wasn’t making many strides in terms of separating from coverage.

That’s a lesser concern for Bengals fans considering that was never Chase’s game in college. His biggest selling point was the fact that he played at his best when the lights shone brightest. In 2019, he recorded a combined 685 yards against Clemson, Florida, Alabama and Texas A&M. Chase might not get too many snaps on Saturday but expect to see a different version of him in live-action.