The Bengals and Ja’Marr Chase appear to have avoided the worst with the star wide receiver’s injury scare on Tuesday.
The five-time Pro Bowler hurt his left knee and limped off the field during Cincinnati practice, but Chase said afterward he only suffered a slight hyperextension and does not expect it to keep him sidelined.
“Just a football play. A misstep, missed my footing. Just a little tweak,” Chase told reporters in the locker room. “I’m fine. Feel good.”
Chase suffered the injury on a deep route down the sideline.
Immediately after the play, Chase limped off to the sideline before collapsing back on the ground in a scary looking scene.
He stayed on the sideline rather than heading to the locker room as Bengals brass held their breath, though Chase later eased those concerns with an encouraging update after the practice.
Chase later told ESPN 1530 Cincinnati: “If I had a game tomorrow, I’d play. I was trying to go back in and practice.”
That would be a big sigh of relief for the Bengals with the regular season fast approaching.
Chase remains the centerpiece of a Bengals passing attack led by quarterback Joe Burrow and is coming off another monster season.
He caught 125 passes for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025, earning first-team All-Pro honors for the second consecutive year.
The Bengals will kick off the regular season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 13, giving Chase nearly three weeks to recover.
Cincinnati takes on the Philadelphia Eagles in their final preseason game on Friday, and Bengals starters are expected to play in that game.
