The Bengals have struggled with slow starts in recent years. After rattling through questions to reporters regarding the team’s recent early-season issues during a Tuesday press conference, receiver Ja’Marr Chase reached a conclusion.
“Sounds like we need to play preseason, huh?” Chase told reporters. “Shit, I mean y’all found y’all your own answer. I just asked y’all the questions, y’all told me the answers.”
Still, Chase separately said during his press conference that he’d prefer not to play in the preseason, if he had his way.
Last year, Chase’s preparation for the regular season was marred by a contract dispute that resulted in Chase not practicing for much of camp. While he played in the Week 1 loss to the Patriots, Chase didn’t make a final decision as to whether he’d play until roughly two hours before kickoff.
“I could say I wasn’t mentally ready to be on the field,” Chase said. “I was in my own head. You know what I’m saying? I wanted to play, but I was in my own head.”
He confirmed that his unsettled contract created the situation.
Last week, coach Zac Taylor mentioned the possibility of playing the starters in the preseason.
“The one thing I do feel good about is playing our guys in the preseason,” Taylor said, via Ben Baby of ESPN.com. “That’s always subject to change, depending on health and how things go with our team during training camp, but that’s one thing that we’ve openly talked about with our players, and I think will help us as we do it.”
It also helps to make sure players with unsettled contract situations get those issues resolved. Last year, it was Chase and receiver Tee Higgins. This year, it could be defensive end Trey Hendrickson.
This year, the Bengals open with a couple of objectively winnable games, against the Browns and the Jaguars. In Week 3, the Bengals travel to Minnesota and then to Denver.
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