Week 5 reignites Ja'Marr Chase-Penei Sewell debate, but Bengals made the right call

With the Cincinnati Bengals facing off against the Detroit Lions this Sunday, we will likely see and hear more about how the front office made the wrong choice over a much-publicized draft decision. 

In 2021, the Bengals stared down the franchise-altering decision with the fifth overall pick of Ja’Marr Chase versus the field. That morphed into Chase versus Penei Sewell. Cincinnati selected Chase, and the Lions took the offensive tackle two picks later.

The Bengals are down bad this season. The Lions are in first place in their division. Now, with the teams meeting in the Jungle on Sunday, there will be some who choose to take advantage of the Bengals’ predicament to say they made a mistake. 

They did not. 

Breaking down the Bengals' great Ja'Marr Chase vs. Penei Sewell dilemma

The debate of whether the Bengals made the correct decision rages on. But it should not. It should be conclusive that the Bengals made the correct decision. But some think otherwise.

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press recently wrote that “the Lions owe the Bengals a debt of gratitude, in the same way they owe the Jaguars for passing on Aidan Hutchinson with the first pick of the 2022 draft.“

You’re welcome?

Obviously, Birkett is not the only person who feels this way. After most media personalities criticized the organization for not being able to sign all their stars this offseason, the ‘experts’ then shifted their focus to the poor roster construction, which often leads back to the 2021 draft. 

While the talking heads are correct, the bad roster construction is a quasi-Duke Tobin problem more than a Chase vs Sewell issue. 

Nevertheless, the results show that the franchise, once considered the worst in North American sports, made the correct decision. 

Ja'Marr Chase has driven Bengals to greater team success than the Lions

The Bengals went to a Super Bowl in Chase’s rookie season. The following year, they returned to the AFC Championship game. They were one dumb defensive penalty away from repeating as conference champs and heading back to the Big Game for a second consecutive year. 

We can’t prove hypotheticals and what-ifs. However, those of us who watch the Bengals regularly, and not just when it feeds into stereotypes and outdated narratives, know that the Bengals do not make the Super Bowl or a second consecutive AFC Championship game without Ja’Marr Chase. 

The Lions missed the playoffs in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, the Lions went to the NFC Championship game, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers. In 2024, they made it back to the playoffs, where they lost to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional round. 

The Lions have not been to two conference championship games, let alone a Super Bowl, since Cincinnati’s ‘mistake’ of drafting Chase over Sewell. 

Because the Bengals’ 2025 season appears to be lost, and the Lions are in first place in their division, it does not mean that Cincinnati made the incorrect decision in 2021.

Ja'Marr Chase and Penei Sewell boast comparable accolades

Sewell made the Pro Bowl in ’22, ’23, and ’24. He earned All-Pro honors in 2023 and 2024. 

However, Chase has his share of individual achievements as well. The wideout has made the Pro Bowl every year since entering the league. He was the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021. He earned All-Pro honors last season, and finished third in Offensive Player of the Year voting. 

Additionally, last year, Chase was the best receiver in the NFL, leading the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. It's near impossible to have a bigger impact as a pass-catcher than to win the Triple Crown. In a painful twist, that rarity last happened when Cooper Kupp notched the feat and earned MVP honors in Super Bowl LVI versus Cincinnati. 

Don’t overestimate the Bengals’ scouting department

The Bengals made two of the more no-brainer picks in franchise history when they took Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase in the first rounds of consecutive drafts. That is not the issue. The issue is what took place later in those subsequent picks and drafts. 

The argument that Cincinnati should have selected Sewell comes down to two key misunderstandings. The first is that Sewell was the only competent offensive lineman available for the Bengals to acquire then and since. However, other moves could have provided high-quality linemen to protect Burrow.

The Bengals' scouting department has made some head-scratching and unforgivable moves in the draft and free agency when filling out the offensive line room. 

They had a chance in 2022 to draft Zach Tom, one of the best linemen in the NFL, in the fourth round! But they looked at him and said, "Nah, let’s roll the dice on FCS superstar Cordell Volson instead." 

In the same draft that they selected Chase, Cincinnati also took Jackson Carman in the second round with the 46th overall pick. Carman was a player that most teams and draftniks had as a Day 3 pick, and some teams even removed him from their boards entirely. The problem there is that Kansas City took Creed Humphrey, 17 picks later. 

Those two incredible misses changed the fortune of what the Bengals could have been today. And that does not even speak to the lack of aggressiveness in free agency and trades in the draft. 

The big assumption in the Penei Sewell argument

The second mistake people make is the most significant assumption of all. After noting several obvious moves that any competent scouting department and player evaluators should make, we should not assume that this team would have taken Sewell in the first place. 

It is not a guarantee that the Bengals scouts see Sewell in the same light as we do. Assuming they did would be a mistake. Trusting the team to make the correct decision if the Atlanta Falcons had selected Chase instead of Kyle Pitts is giving the front office credit they do not deserve. 

Now, let’s say they did everything the same as they have with the only exception being drafting Sewell over Chase. Burrow, Browning, and running back Chase Brown would still be under siege. 

The Bengals would need five Penei Sewells to make up for their insufficient addressing of the issue.

The Detroit Lions are the one franchise that understands what Bengals fans have been through, as they’ve had their time roaming the NFL wilderness of futility themselves. They are lucky to have Sewell.

Detroit got a franchise tackle. Cincy got one of the best playmakers in the NFL. Both teams should be laughing at the Falcons. Sewell and Chase are both great players. Nevertheless, the Bengals' selection of Chase in 2021 has proven to be one of the best decisions in franchise history. 

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