As the Cincinnati Bengals went into OTAs, they still faced a couple of lingering questions -- big questions, I might add.
While fans could have been worried about the likes of contract situations such as Trey Hendrickson and Shemar Stewart, quarterback Joe Burrow and his favorite wide receiver wasted no time offering an exciting change of tone.
During Tuesday's practice, Burrow found Ja'Marr Chase on a beautiful sideline strike which saw the wide receiver not only extend for the catch, but manage to keep both feet in bounds for what FOX 19's Jeremy Rauch called the "catch of the day."
To say that was a thing of beauty would be an understatement.
Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase provide fans with a much-needed uplifting moment amid continued drama
Fans are always thankful for moments like these, especially because not all parts of the offseason are available to the media. When we get a chance to see highlights like the above, it immediately provides us all the necessary fix to get us through these long offseason months.
Footage like this is also therapeutic in a way, especially when you happen to be fans of a team like the Bengals who can't seemingly do anything the right way with their top players.
Getting a break from worrying about Hendrickson and Stewart, and their contract standoffs, is a nice change of pace.
If the Bengals are unable to come to terms with Hendrickson, specifically, then this defense is going to be down bad. It will take plenty more of those connections between Burrow and Chase to make up for what's going to be a less-than-desirable starting defense.
This team already had question marks on the defensive side of the ball, but without Hendrickson, the quesitons will only grow. And, if Stewart misses a chunk of the offseason because of this contract impasse, it's just going to become one more reason why Cincinnati is truly inept.