Five Takeaways From Ja'Marr Chase's Week 1 Press Conference

Ja’Marr Chase spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon to talk about the Cincinnati Bengals’ Week 1 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, his health, what he’s looking to accomplish this season on the field and much more.

Here’s what you need to know:

Chase is back to his usual workload at practice.

After he went down with an injury on Aug. 25, there were some unknowns about whether or not Chase would be fully healthy and ready to play by Week 1. He got the good news that the injury was nothing major, but he took it easy for the next couple of weeks of training camp following the tweak.

Chase said Thursday that he is back to taking on a full workload in practice and is feeling good heading into Sunday.

Personal goals aren’t a priority this season.

Chase has accomplished a lot since entering the NFL in 2021. He’s won Offensive Rookie of the Year, been First Team All-Pro and won the Triple Crown in 2024 with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns.

This season, he’s not looking to add any more personal awards to his resume, but rather has his focus on winning the AFC and the Super Bowl.

Who’s BLURRRR?

No, that is not a typo.

Chase said he wants fans to have something to yell when he catches a pass, similarly to how fans yell, “TEEEEEE” whenever Tee Higgins comes down with a ball. He thinks it’s better than “Uno,” saying he thinks it’s a more known thing.

This wouldn’t be a new nickname for him, however. He simply wants fans to have something to be excited for, saying he thinks it would give people chills when the whole stadium does it.

The 2021 Bengals had the deepest wide receiver room.

Chase was asked if the current roster has the deepest wide receiver room he’s been a part of in Cincinnati, which is a valid question considering you have guys like Colbie Young and Dohnte Meyers joining the team after big preseasons.

He went a different route, saying the deepest room he’s been a part of was his rookie season, giving some love to guys like Tyler Boyd.

1 p.m. starts aren’t his favorite.

On a more light-hearted note, Chase was asked what he was looking forward to on Sunday, to which he responded with a short discourse on why he doesn’t like 1 p.m. kickoffs. He said he hates having to wake up earlier than usual, but the funny thing is that he said he found that out today.

He said he doesn’t worry about the schedule until he has to, since his job at the end of the day is to work, not look at the schedule.