Hindsight tends to be 20/20, but taking Ja’Marr Chase over Penei Sewell might just be the second-best decision for the Cincinnati Bengals franchise in the last decade.
The first? Joe Burrow, naturally.
Chase has been so busy breaking records he probably isn’t even aware of all the praise he’s getting from high-profile players and analysts.
One of Chase’s adoring fans is none other than NFL legend Randy Moss, who gave all the love to the Bengals rookie wideout prior to Week 7’s game.
"As soon as Week 1 starts off in the National Football League season, y'all pick up where y'all left off?! Of course I'm in awe!"@RandyMoss is loving the Burrow-Chase transition from LSU to Cincy 💯 pic.twitter.com/kybce3qOQP
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) October 25, 2021
To name what fans already know: Chase has more receiving yards (754) in his first seven games than any other player in NFL history.
After Sunday’s win against the Ravens, Chase became the 11th rookie to reach the 200-yard receiving mark, finishing with eight catches for 201 yards and one score.
Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase gets the best compliment from an NFL legend
At this rate, Chase may need a second home address for all the fan mail. Steve Young recently compared Chase to Steve Smith. Marlon Humphrey, Richard Sherman, and several other peers have recognized Chase’s emergence as an elite wide receiver in the league, too.
But Randy Moss’s praise of Chase might be the most meaningful given their uncanny similarities.
In Cincinnati’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, Chase hauled in his fifth touchdown of the season, with four of his TD catches being at least 34 yards. The only rookie receivers to accomplish that feat since the 1970 merger are — you guessed it — Chase and Moss.
Moss needs no introduction, and he took absolutely no time making his mark in the NFL. In 11 games, Moss caught 69 passes for 1,313 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 19 yards per catch.
Without jinxing it, Chase isn’t too far behind. In seven games, he has 754 yards and six touchdowns, averaging a whopping 21.5 yards per catch.
Forget Mahomes-Hill. Could the Burrow-Chase connection become so legendary that it rivals Montana-Rice, Manning-Marvin Harrison, or Brady-Moss?
The sky’s the limit, and Chase is just getting started.