Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is currently nursing a shoulder injury, and on Wednesday, he did some rehab work at practice, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk.
He was not in uniform.
Chase initially suffered his shoulder injury during his team’s Week 15 win over the Minnesota Vikings. He did not play in the Bengals’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers this past weekend as a result.
His status for Cincinnati’s pivotal Week 17 matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs is up in the air, but the fact that he got in some work—albeit limited—on Wednesday seems to be a positive sign.
Chase has hauled in 93 receptions for 1,156 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games this season. He is a critical part of the Bengals’ offense, and his absence was definitely palpable in Cincy’s 11-point outing against the Steelers.
Cincinnati has been hounded by key injuries all season long. Most notably, starting quarterback Joe Burrow is sidelined for the year due to a wrist injury. He was also dealing with a calf issue that severely limited him earlier in the season.
With Burrow in street clothes, Chase’s presence on the field becomes that much more important. That was made evident in Week 16 when Jake Browning threw three interceptions as the Bengals’ offense struggled to get off the ground.
Chase, who played his collegiate football at LSU, was selected by Cincinnati with the fifth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
He enjoyed a tremendous rookie campaign, catching 81 passes for 1,455 yards and 13 scores en route to a Pro Bowl appearance. The following year, Ja’Marr Chase was limited to just 12 games due to injuries, but when he was on the field, he snared 87 balls for 1,046 yards while reaching the end zone nine times.
The Bengals are 8-7 and are currently out of the playoff picture in the AFC due to tiebreakers. After facing the Chiefs this weekend, Cincinnati will take on the Cleveland Browns to wrap up the regular season on Jan. 7.
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