The 2024 NFL season is underway and as teams finished up with preseason, their injury picture for Week 1 became a little clearer. Some teams knows they will be without certain players for the first game of their season. Others are taking it day-by-day as names have popped up during practice this week. The Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers are two teams monitoring the health of key players ahead of Sunday. The Bengals could be without their top two receivers on Sunday against the Patriots. Tee Higgins is listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury, while star wideout Ja'Marr Chase is still dealing with an unresolved contract situation and the team announced he's also dealing with an illness and is questionable. He said a deal "is in reach" and he's willing to play if an extension can't be worked out. While head coach Zac Taylor would only say "we'll see" regarding Chase playing, the three-time Pro Bowler said he's a game-time decision and if he did suit up he would be limited.
Bengals Injury Report
Things look very different for the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday morning than they did just 72 hours ago. On Thursday, Ja'Marr Chase was back at practice and the Bengals looked set to start the year with their top two targets, something that wasn't always a sure thing with Chase's hold-in and Tee Higgins' reported unhappiness with the team franchise tagging him. As you wake up on Sunday, Higgins is doubtful to see the field with a hamstring injury and Chase was a late edition to the injury report on Saturday, not participating due to an illness.
A deal between the Cincinnati Bengals and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase before Sunday's opener against the New England Patriots is considered unlikely, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter late Saturday night. Sources also told Schefter that a final decision on whether Chase will play Sunday, in a game in which he is listed as questionable, still had not been made as of Saturday night. On Friday, Chase said his availability would be a game-time decision amid a contract dispute that resulted in a hold-in through all of training camp. He took part in the team's final three practices of the week. However, another issue popped up Saturday when he was added to the injury report with an illness. His availability did not change with his illness designation. Earlier Saturday, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that the team was proceeding with its game plan for the Patriots anticipating that Chase would play, but the source said that Cincinnati could adjust accordingly if he did not suit up. The three-time Pro Bowler said he was willing to play without a contract extension when asked Friday, his first public comments since the end of last season. He added that while both sides appeared to be close to a deal, there was only a "small chance" that an extension would get done before Sunday. And when it came to him playing, he was going to be the one who made the call. "It's my decision," Chase said at his locker Friday.
How the Bengals Offense Can Adapt
The Bengals have listed star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase as questionable for Sunday's opener against the New England Patriots due to an illness, according to ESPN's Ben Baby. Chase, who has been seeking a new contract all offseason, told reporters on Friday that he would play this season without an extension if an agreement wasn't reached. The Bengals would certainly still like to get a deal done with Chase, who has been one of the NFL's top receivers since entering the league in 2021. In 45 career games across three seasons, Chase has caught 268 passes for 3,717 yards and 29 touchdowns. The Bengals exercised the club option on Chase's rookie deal, which will keep him in Cincinnati through at least the 2025 season, but a contract extension is expected out of the star wide receiver's camp sooner rather than later.
With the status of the Bengals' top two receiving options up in the air, the Bengals elevated Kendric Pryor from the practice squad. The Bengals also will also rely on a talented but young receiving corps down the depth chart, led by Andrei Iosivas, who was listed as the Bengals' starting slot receiver on the first regular season depth chart earlier this week. A sixth-round draft pick out of Princeton University last year, Iosivas caught 15 passes for 116 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games. Trent Irwin and Charlie Jones, who are known to Bengals fans more for their talents on special teams, will also be looked to by Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow to make some plays. Also a member of the 2023 draft class, Jones caught just seven passes for the Bengals in 11 games last year but did return 23 kicks for Cincinnati, totaling 248 yards and one touchdown. Irwin, who has been with the Bengals since 2019, caught 25 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown last year. Third-round draft pick Jermaine Burton could also get an early chance to shine, though reporting earlier this week in The Athletic suggests the team might not put him on the field until he is more pro-ready.
The Importance of the Running Backs
It's not just wide receivers Burrow will have at his disposal. A lack of Chase or Higgins could give Burrow reason to welcome free agent acquisition Mike Gesicki to Cincinnati with a high target share. From 2019-2021, Gesicki was targeted at least 85 times while with the Miami Dolphins, including a career-high 112 targets in 2021. Last year, with the New England Patriots, Gesicki was one of just four players to catch multiple touchdown passes. Gesicki joins a TE room that struggled to open last year, but started to find a groove, especially with Tanner Hudson, who led the position with 39 catches for 352 yards. Cincinnati also boasts one of the best pass catching backfields in the league. Last year, new Bengals running back Zack Moss - then in Indianapolis - caught 27 balls for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Chase Brown, as a rookie, added 14 catches for 156 yards and one touchdown.
Even if the Bengals get one, or both, of their top-of-the-depth-chart targets on Sunday, neither will be at full capacity. To get the season off on the right foot, it'll be a true group effort on offense against New England.
The Uncertainty of Chase's Illness
The Bengals today elevated WR Kendric Pryor from the practice squad to the active roster for tomorrow's game against New England. Pryor is classified as standard elevation. As a practice squad player being elevated to the active roster for the game, he automatically will revert to the practice squad on Monday. We’ve got a new injury report that has two big changes. First, Ja’Marr Chase apparently has an illness and remains questionable for the Bengals. You have to wonder if this is a sign that he plans to sit out if no deal is reached. On the other side, the Patriots are listing starting safety Jabrill Peppers as questionable to play due to a hip injury. He was not previously on the injury report and practiced all week.
The Bengals' Roster Moves
The Bengals today made the following player moves: Bengals announced moves to get roster down to 53 players. The Bengals today waived DE Justin Blazek. The Bengals today made the following roster moves: The Bengals today signed K Evan McPherson to a three-year contract extension through the 2027 season. The Bengals today placed DE Jeff Gunter on the Reserve/Retired list. The Bengals today signed free agent DT Carlos Davis. The Bengals today made the following roster moves: © 2023 The Cincinnati Bengals. All rights reserved
A Final Look at the Bengals
The final practice of Week 1 preparation for the Cincinnati Bengals brought us the final injury report for the week before the New England Patriots come to Paycor Stadium on Sunday. Rookie defensive end Kris Jenkins (thumb) will not play Sunday, per Head Coach Zac Taylor. Jenkins has been practicing with his hand wrapped this week, but Taylor spoke with the media Friday and said Jenkins will have surgery. Taylor did add that there is a chance Jenkins is ready to go for Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase did practice again, before speaking to the media about his ongoing contract negotiations. Chase said that he is 100% healthy, but it will be a game-time decision whether he plays. Chase said that decision will be his and if he does play, he would likely be limited. If a contract extension is agreed to before Sunday, one would expect Chase to be full go. After tweaking a hamstring Thursday, Tee Higgins did not practice Friday. When asked about Higgins’ status for Sunday, Taylor said, “We’ll see.” The team’s official report lists him as Doubtful. Rookie offensive tackle Amarius Mims (pectoral) was listed as out. For the Patriots, starting left guard Sidy Sow is out, and backup right tackle Vederian Lowe is questionable, so their offensive line is getting dangerously thin with guard Cole Strange currently on the PUP list. Backup outside linebacker Josh Uche is questionable, as is backup running back Antonio Gibson. Be sure to follow our Twitter page and ‘like’ our Facebook page for the latest Cincinnati Bengals news, views, and some other fun stuff. Who Dey! Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537). Hope is here. GamblingHelpLineMA.org or call (800) 327-5050 for 24/7 support (MA). Visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). Call 877-8HOPE-NY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 21+ (18+ D.C.) and present in select states (for KS, in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino). Call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT) or visit FanDuel.com/RG.
