The saga between the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase hit another level on Tuesday before the team travels to partake in joint practices with the Chicago Bears ahead of a preseason encounter.
Chase was completely absent from practice. He’s been a non-participant yet very involved in an almost coach-like role throughout training camp.
Bengals head coach Zac Taylor took a new slant in a post-practice meeting with reporters, too, for the first time shying away from his usual response that says the “plan” is the reason for Chase’s absences.
“Ja’Marr [is] day-to-day,” Taylor said. “We’ll take it one day a time.”
As fans know, a day-to-day description is usually something reserved for an injury description, but it certainly didn’t come off that way in footage provided by Fox 19’s Joe Danneman:
Zac Taylor post practice statement on Ja’Marr Chase, Jake Browning, BJ Hill and Brad Robbins. pic.twitter.com/Vk194OdXJd
— Joe Danneman (@FOX19Joe) August 13, 2024
Chase has been a “hold-in” during camp as he awaits a new contract extension. Entering camp, it seemed unlikely a new deal would arrive before 2025, though Justin Jefferson recently resetting the market has changed that outlook, at least slightly.
Fans wondering if Chase’s sudden absence is related to the contract are justified, though it’s impossible to say whether it’s a sign of a full-blown holdout or progress on an upcoming extension. As always, the absence could be totally unrelated.
Either way, the Chase saga got another entry, with Taylor’s commentary on the situation suddenly changing too, so stay tuned.
