Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase already believes he is one of the best receivers in the NFL and at least better than Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson.

"I'm better than Justin," Chase told Peter King of NBC Sports.

Does he think he's better than Davante Adams?

"I don't know if I'm better … but I watch his film all the time," Chase responded. "He told me he watches my film. That's definitely something to keep me working."

Chase was the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year last season after totaling 81 catches for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. He was named second-team All-Pro and has even higher expectations going into his second year.

Though Jefferson has also established himself as one of the top young receivers in the game, Chase knows him well from their time together at LSU. During the team's national championship run in 2019, Chase led the Tigers with 1,780 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns while Jefferson was slightly behind at 1,540 yards and 18 scores.

Adams is more established than either of these younger wideouts with five straight Pro Bowl selections, but Chase is right on his heels to become the best at the position.

Do not expect the Joe Burrow hype train to die down anytime soon.

Fresh off leading the Bengals to their first AFC championship in more than 30 years, Burrow has been the source of a never-ending heaping of praise in Cincinnati.

"He's everything you would wish for, especially for a quarterback in Cincinnati," Bengals president Mike Brown told Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic.

Burrow threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns against 14 interceptions during the regular season, winning Comeback Player of the Year after tearing his ACL during his 2020 rookie campaign. The LSU product should, at least in theory, be able to take another leap in 2022 with his knee fully healed and the Bengals offense running at full throttle.

Burrow's arrival in Cincinnati brought life to a franchise that had settled into a state of mediocrity under Marvin Lewis and former quarterback Andy Dalton. While the Bengals were regular playoff contenders, they never won a postseason game in Lewis' 16 years at the helm.

That all changed in Burrow's second season under Zac Taylor, as the Bengals were a surprise winner of the AFC North and then raced their way to a Super Bowl appearance before losing by three points to the Los Angeles Rams.

With an elite supporting cast of young skill-position players around him, Burrow is in a position to give the Bengals their brightest future in franchise history.

The Cincinnati Bengals aren't putting a timetable on Joe Burrow's return after he underwent appendix surgery on July 26.

Speaking to reporters after Saturday's training camp session, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said his star quarterback will return "when he's ready."

Zac Taylor continues to not put a timetable on Joe Burrow’s return: pic.twitter.com/hRE7TPyIKS

— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) July 30, 2022

Per Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer, Burrow had the procedure done after being diagnosed with appendicitis.

Conway noted the sentiment around the Bengals organization was the issue was "nothing out of the ordinary" and Burrow should be able to return "after about a week or so."

Tuesday will be the one week mark from the procedure.

The Bengals opened training camp one day after Burrow's surgery. Brandon Allen has been taking reps at quarterback with the first-team offense for the reigning AFC champions this week.

Burrow missed the final six games of his rookie season in 2020 with a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee. The 25-year-old showed no lingering effects from the injury last year. He led the league with a 70.4 completion percentage, threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns.

That performance came after Burrow appeared in just one game during the preseason. He threw one pass, an incompletion against the Miami Dolphins, before being benched for Allen.

The Bengals won the AFC North with a 10-7 record and advanced to the Super Bowl last season for the first time since 1988.

Cincinnati will open the preseason on Aug. 12 against the Arizona Cardinals at Paul Brown Stadium.

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor and running back Joe Mixon have cleared the air after Mixon's comments about wishing he had pushed harder to get on the field for the team's final drive in Super Bowl 56 against the Los Angeles Rams.

Taylor told reporters after Saturday's practice that he had no issues with how Mixon expressed himself.

"You absolutely should feel passionate about that situation," Taylor said. "He's handled it outstanding. That's much appreciated. He knows that. It's one of the reasons you want to get back to those moments, you know?"

In an interview with The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr., Mixon said he "really should have took initiative" to get himself into the game during the two-minute drive:

"It sucks. Obviously, I know I would have been able to help and do whatever to get that 1 yard, but it's over with, it's last year, and we are in 2022. We are trying to do whatever we can do to repeat and get right back in that same situation. And when we are in that situation, you damn sure know I'll be in."

After the Rams took a 23-20 lead on Cooper Kupp's one-yard touchdown catch with 1:25 left in regulation, the Bengals offense came back on the field with Samaje Perine at running back.

Perine got a handoff on 3rd-and-1 from the Rams' 49-yard line, but he was stopped for no gain by Aaron Donald and Greg Gaines.

On the fourth-down play, Joe Burrow nearly made a miraculous throw to Perine as he was being dragged to the ground by Donald that would have extended the drive. The Rams held on to win the game and their first championship since 1999.

Mixon was heavily featured on Cincinnati's previous drive before Kupp's touchdown. He touched the ball five times (four rushes, one reception) on the seven-play drive that resulted in a punt.

During the regular season, Mixon was the only Bengals player with at least 90 touches. His 292 rushing attempts were third-most in the NFL, behind only Jonathan Taylor (332) and Najee Harris (307).

Perine had just 55 rushing attempts in the regular season. His two carries in the Super Bowl gained zero yards.

Despite Perine's limited usage overall, Taylor did have a track record of turning to his backup running back in close late-game situations.

Citing ESPN Stats & Information, ESPN's Ben Baby noted Perine had 21 offensive snaps in games when the Bengals were tied or trailing by eight points or less all season. Mixon had 13 offensive snaps in those situations.

Perhaps having Mixon on the field would have impacted the end of the game, but Donald was such a force for the Rams on the final drive that the Bengals' leaky offensive line would have had to make an adjustment at some point even if they converted that final fourth down.

Mixon finished with 20 touches (15 carries, five receptions) and played 72 percent of the offensive snaps against the Rams, tied with the AFC Divisional Round for his fewest in Cincinnati's four playoff games.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase revealed that he bought his mother a Maserati and paid off her house with part of the first million he earned on his rookie contract.

Chase sat down for the latest edition of GQ Sports' First Million seres and gave the entire lowdown on what he spent and saved.

The former LSU star signed a four-year, $30.8 million rookie contract with a $19.8 million signing bonus. He certainly justified the Bengals using the No. 5 overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft on him by catching 81 passes for 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns en route to helping Cincinnati earn a Super Bowl berth.

Chase spent $65,000 on the Maserati and $100,000 to pay off the house. He also said he gave $15,000 each to his siblings and spent $20,000 on rookie dinners over the year.

The Bengal superstar also made sure to get himself some things, too, including $50,000 on jewelry, $50,000 more on shoes and clothes, $300,000 on a Rolls Royce Wraith.

He also got some new tattoos and said that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and safety Jamal Adams served as inspirations.

All told, Chase ended up spending around $631,000 of his first million, per Florence O'Connor of GQ. He then put the rest in savings.

The ex-LSU star is well on his way to earning a fat second contract when his rookie deal runs out. A few wide receivers struck it rich this offseason, including Davante Adams ($140 million), Tyreek Hill ($120 million ), A.J. Brown ($100 million) and Stefon Diggs ($96 million).

Chase could easily set the market when his rookie deal runs out in a few years with a contract well over the nine-figure mark. For now, he's establishing himself as one of the best offensive talents in the league as the Bengals look to build off their first AFC title in 34 years.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow will have surgery to remove his appendix and will miss some practice time, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Bengals veterans are scheduled to report to training camp Tuesday, and the first public workout in front of fans happens Wednesday.

It's unclear how long Burrow will be unavailable as he recovers from surgery. The Bengals don't have a preseason game until Aug. 12 at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

The 25-year-old signal-caller blossomed into one of the best quarterbacks in the league last season, which was his first full year after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in Week 11 of his rookie season in 2020. He finished with 4,611 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and 14 interceptions with a league-leading completion percentage of 70.4.

Burrow helped lead the Bengals on a surprising playoff run, defeating the top-seeded Tennessee Titans and the two-time defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs. He had the Bengals in position to win their first Super Bowl until the Rams put together a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter.

The Bengals have no reason to think Burrow won't be back when they open the regular season Sept. 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cincinnati opened with +1400 odds (bet $100 to win $1,400) to earn a trip to the Super Bowl in 2023, the third-best odds according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady knows there can be a worse fate than having a lower than expected player rating in Madden.

The first batch of player ratings for Madden NFL 23 were revealed Monday, and Cincinnati Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase getting an 87 overall at launch was one of the bigger surprises.

i’m going keep working . Extra motivation😌 https://t.co/0vZs4r5uFJ

— Ja’MarrChase (@Real10jayy__) July 18, 2022

Brady chimed in with a helpful anecdote:

Don’t sweat it man. Madden didn’t even put me in the game my second year 😂 @Real10jayy__ https://t.co/je5GbMfFrQ

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) July 18, 2022

41 awareness was just unnecessarily mean. https://t.co/o7cXnsICTz

— Tom Brady (@TomBrady) July 18, 2022

Not that anybody has forgotten, but this is yet another example for how unlikely Brady's ascension was. The sixth-round pick wasn't even listed by name in Madden 2001, and his rating fell by six points in Madden 2002.

And this was a time before EA Sports updated its player ratings based on how the season was unfolding. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback in 2001 was one of the lowest-rated at the position that year.

By comparison, Chase is faring pretty well.

Former NFL tight end Orson Charles was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed firearm after allegedly confronting two law enforcement officers during an argument over a parking space, per Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times.

Charles was in one car and lost out on a parking spot to another vehicle with the two officers. The former NFL player then allegedly approached the other car and pulled a gun.

Police said the officers showed Charles their badges, but he responded by cursing and saying "I have one in the head."

That is when the officers drove away from the scene and alerted another deputy of the situation before Charles was taken into custody.

Charles also faces one charge of introduction of contraband into a detention facility.

The 31-year-old played collegiately at Georgia and was a fourth-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

He appeared in games for the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns from 2012 through 2018 and never had more than 101 receiving yards in a season.

A revolution occurred in professional football at the turn of the century. The St. Louis Rams offense emerged as the Greatest Show on Turf and led the NFL in passing for three consecutive seasons.

The streak ended after the 2001 campaign. During that period, the Rams, who were led by Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, averaged 4,992 passing yards per season.

Twenty years later, nine different teams threw for 4,500 or more yards. Further comparison shows only two teams eclipsed 4,000 passing yards in 2001. Nearly half of the league passed that number last season.

Yes, the NFL is a passing league.

To take full advantage of how the game has been trending over the last two decades, teams need weapons on the outside. Those playmakers are now more valuable than ever as the league continues to evolve, and the influx of talent from the collegiate ranks creates more opportunities in the passing game.

Last season, all 32 teams had three or more wide receivers on the field for 65 percent of the snaps, according to Sharp Football's Warren Sharp.

Let's backtrack for a second. While Warner's "American Underdog" story became the basis of a Hollywood film, his wide receivers shouldn't be considered secondary characters. Isaac Bruce is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Torry Holt went on to become a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. Az-Zahir Hakim served as a deep threat. And Ricky Proehl played 17 seasons in the league. The talent found among this group helped to create a storybook ending.

Traditionally, NFL economics were built around the concept of four premium positions.

Quarterback, offensive tackle, pass-rusher and cornerback held the most value based in part on how they affected passing games. Wide receiver officially crashed the party this offseason as an avalanche of movement occurred at the position, which helped reset the market.

The Green Bay Packers traded the game's best wide receiver, Davante Adams, to the Las Vegas Raiders, and he subsequently signed a record-setting $140 million contract. The Miami Dolphins acquired Tyreek Hill from the Kansas Chiefs and signed him to a $120 million deal. The Dallas Cowboys flipped Amari Cooper and his $100 million contract to the Cleveland Browns. The Tennessee Titans decided to trade A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles during draft weekend, and he then signed a new $100 million agreement.

Those are just the biggest moves of the offseason (so far).

Currently, 12 different wide receivers are under contract with average annual salaries of between $20-30 million. Nine of those deals were agreed upon within the last few months.

Only three offensive tackles are making $20 million per season. Only one has at least a $100 million deal compared to four at wide receiver. A similar financial trajectory has taken place at cornerback, where three players at the position make $20 million or more annually, with two claiming at least $100 million in total value.

Scarcity remains the biggest difference between the traditional premium spots and the upstart position.

Only 32 starting quarterbacks exist, and some argue the NFL can't even find enough quality options to fill all of those spots. Only so many men are big enough, strong enough and athletic enough to protect a quarterback at a high level from left or right tackle. Cornerbacks are arguably the most athletically gifted players on a football field.

Meanwhile, anyone with enough length, flexibility, core strength and explosivity tends to find his way to the defensive front to harass opposing signal-callers.

Wide receiver is different. Various body types, speed levels and skill sets can thrive in today's game. For example, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Mike Evans is 6'5", 231 pounds, and one of the league's best at working down the field and sideline, whereas the Las Vegas Raiders' Hunter Renfrow is 5'10", 185 pounds, and extremely slippery working out of the slot. Yet the two finished only three yards apart with last season's production.

Therein lies the value of being elite in a specific role.

Defenses are adept at keying in on specific talents in order to take them out of the equation or adjusting to make sure a player or a concept won't repeatedly beat them. When a team has wide receivers with complementary skill sets, the position is far more difficult to defend. An opponent can't consistently roll coverage toward one player or bracket one option.

Aside from Adams, there's not a wide receiver who consistently takes over games with little to no help from his fellow targets.

It's important not to have the same types of weapons. An "X" receiver, "Y" receiver and those working in the slot typically have different body types and abilities, much like the starting five on a basketball court.

On the gridiron, a squad should want a taller target, a vertical threat and someone with the quickness to quickly separate while working from the slot. Not everyone runs the routes the same way or has similar ways to win against tight coverage.

Those differences often lead to cohesion and greater effectiveness within the offensive scheme.

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The NFL's Top Five WR Corps

The league's best wide receiver corps have players with varied skill sets as well as plenty of depth.

It's not just about the top individual wide receivers. That's why it became necessary to exclude the likes of the Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints, though all three were strongly considered.

The five best wide receiver corps for the 2022 season are filled with high-end producers, significant potential and plenty of quality options.

5. Miami Dolphins (Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Erik Ezukanma, Lynn Bowden Jr.)

The Dolphins paid an exorbitant amount to acquire Hill, sending a first-round pick, a second-round selection, two fourth-rounders and a sixth-rounder to the Kansas City Chiefs, but his on-field performance could be well worth it. The 28-year-old wideout is the game's premier deep threat and the league's most explosive target.

Jaylen Waddle broke the rookie record last season with 104 receptions. Cedrick Wilson Jr. set career highs in 2021 with 45 receptions for 602 yards with the Dallas Cowboys. All three present inside-out versatility. The Dolphins also added Erik Ezukanma, who is a 6'2", 206-pound target, in this year's fourth round.

4. Las Vegas Raiders (Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, Demarcus Robinson, Keelan Cole, Mack Hollins)

Since Adams became the focal point of a passing attack in 2017, he hasn't had a teammate manage more than 690 receiving yards. During that same span, Adams went to five Pro Bowls and averaged 101 catches, 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns per season. Defenses knew exactly where the ball was going to go and still couldn't do anything about it.

Now Adams is part of the Raiders, and he'll have a little more help than he's accustomed to. Renfrow was one of 10 receivers last season with more than 100 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards. In March, Adams praised Renfrow, telling reporters, "He might be able to teach me a few things."

Neither Demarcus Robinson nor Keelan Cole is a stronger third or fourth option compared to some of the other depth found on this list, but both are established veterans capable of 400-plus-yard efforts.

3. Los Angeles Rams (Cooper Kupp, Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell)

Cooper Kupp is coming off the single greatest season a wide receiver ever produced with 178 receptions for 2,425 yards and 22 touchdowns through the regular season into the playoffs and on his way to being named the Super Bowl LVI MVP. His contributions from the slot and as a blocker are vital to the offense's success.

Last season, the Rams had Robert Woods and Odell Beckham Jr. on the roster, but injuries affected their playing time. Neither is currently with the team.

The Rams did sign Allen Robinson to a three-year, $46.5 million free-agent deal. The 28-year Robinson excels at contested catches down the sideline and already has three 1,000-yard campaigns. Van Jefferson posted an 802-yard campaign last season. Ben Skowronek is a 6'3" target, and Tutu Atwell, whom the team drafted in last year's second round, presents 4.32-second 40-yard-dash speed if he can crack the rotation in 2022.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, Tyler Johnson, Breshad Perriman)

If ranking the best wide receiver corps were based purely on depth, the Buccaneers would run away with the title. Obviously, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are elite targets. Evans set an NFL record with eight 1,000-yard campaigns to start his career. Godwin is less than three years removed from finishing among the top three in receiving yardage. Injuries, including a torn ACL last year, derailed his last two campaigns.

General manager Jason Licht wasn't content with his options on the roster and signed Russell Gage to three-year, $30 million free-agent contract after he posted back-to-back seasons with at least 66 receptions and 770 yards. Tyler Johnson, Breshad Perriman, Scotty Miller and Jaelon Darden could make the Week 1 roster.

The team even signed the top two leading receivers at the FBS level in Jerreth Sterns and Deven Thompkins as undrafted free agents.

1. Cincinnati Bengals (Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, Mike Thomas, Trent Taylor)

The Cincinnati Bengals organization found itself at a crossroads last offseason. The team could have gone with either the top offensive lineman to properly protect quarterback Joe Burrow or select the best wide receiver prospect in the draft class. The franchise chose the latter path and benefitted greatly.

Ja'Marr Chase is special. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year grabbed a league-high 10 touchdown receptions of 15 or more yards last season. The "X" receiver has yet to fully mature as a route-runner.

"Last year I was just out there running routes, having fun again," Chase said in May, per Jay Morrison of The Athletic. "Now I’ve got all the small details down, like learning how to set people up before the next route. And I feel more comfortable with the offense."

Chase isn't the only reason why the Bengals are so dangerous. Tee Higgins is a massive 6'4" target who's coming off his first 1,000-yard campaign. Tyler Boyd is one of the game's elite slot receivers, and he has two previous 1,000-yard seasons. That's three 1,000-yard receivers on one roster who have the potential to be the team's leading pass-catcher on any given Sunday (or Monday or Thursday).

Unsurprisingly, every team counted among the top five either traded for an elite target, signed one to massive contract extension and/or sunk a top-10 pick into the position.

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Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.