After a historic rookie debut and doing well against Jalen Ramsey in the Super Bowl, one would think there isn’t a cornerback in the league that worries Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase too much.
But that’s apparently not true.
Chase told reporters that a certain Cleveland Browns cornerback by the name of Denzel Ward was the one guy who had him running back to the film to study after their first encounter.
“The first main person I really started to study was that freakin’ cat from the Browns, (Denzel) Ward,” Chase said, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “I like his game a lot. He’s so good and so patient. He doesn’t get beat often, and when he does, he gets beat with his eyes. He is really patient, and that’s one of those tendencies that doesn’t really show on film, so you have to watch his tape real, real close to find out everything you can on him. He’s the one guy I watched a lot of film on after the first meeting.”
Maybe that shouldn’t be too much of a shocker despite the star-studded cast of corners Chase played all year. He was on the field during a Week 9, 41-16 loss to the Browns and was the intended target on a 99-yard Joe Burrow pick that went back for a touchdown in the opening quarter.
Chase caught two passes in the season-ending rematch with the Browns to wrap up some history, but with the playoffs secured, hardly played at all.
Before the Week 9 matchup, Chase’s film studied focused more on broad defensive looks, not individual matchups. Ward changed that.
While Chase played notables like Marlon Humphrey last year and defenses slid him more and more attention as the season went on, it’s Ward from the Browns who gets the nod, which is quite the bit of praise.
And of course, Chase gets Ward again twice next season, first up in Week 8.
