Ja’Marr Chase not bothered by early camp scuffle at Bengals camp

During the first training camp practice for the Cincinnati Bengals, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and cornerbacks Jalen Davis and DJ Turner had some heated battles.

At one point, a scuffle erupted in practice and Chase was seen throwing a helmet across the field. And while the fight was broken up by teammates and coaches quickly, the trash talking continued.

Chase addressed the scuffle on July 30 when he held his first press conference of the preseason and said he didn’t mind what transpired on the field on Day 1 of training camp.

“It’s just really football at the end of the day… it happens,” Chase said. “Got to bounce back. It’s competitiveness. Everybody just getting each other better at the end of the day. So (we’ve) got to do a better job of just getting back to practice, not getting distracted.”

The 2025 triple crown leader is no stranger to trash talking. He’s one of the most competitive players in the NFL and embraces that part of the game.

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In fact, Chase said he likes it when defensive backs talk trash to him. But when it becomes a distraction in practice, that’s when it can become a bigger deal.

Chase said he and Davis talked after practice on July 29 and there’s no lingering issues between the two teammates. Same with Turner and Chase. In fact, Chase offered high praise of Cincinnati’s starting cornerback saying he’s playing with a “a lot of confidence” right now.

The Bengals are coming off three consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs with Chase on the roster. He wants to get back to contending for the Super Bowl, and his competitive spirit helps set the tone for the Bengals every day.

“I play with a lot of feistiness under me,” Chase said. “I think me just bringing it to practice, I think that’s gonna help those guys get better because you never know who does that in the game with them. And you know it might help guys practice a little harder. Might help me practice a little harder. You never know what it does.”

Chase was selected as a team captain for the Bengals last year for the first time in his career. He’s embraced more of a leadership role now, and he understands the weight that comes with it.

He’s a different player than he was when the Bengals selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.  Chase is growing and evolving exactly as the Bengals hoped he would.

Despite all of the success Chase has experienced so far in his young career, he’s eager to get better. Chase has played in 77 regular season games for the Bengals. He’s caught 520 passes, racked up 6,837 yards and scored 54 touchdowns in his five seasons in the NFL.

“There’s a lot I can still do,” Chase said. “There’s still a lot I can do at the end of the day. I’m still young at the end of the day. I still have more space to grow. Still more space to learn, and it’s only going to take a matter of time.”

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When Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins and Chase are all on the field, the Bengals have one of the NFL’s most dangerous passing attacks. If those three players can stay healthy and Chase takes another step forward in his game, the Bengals have the potential to be one of the best teams in the league.

Chase was not shy about wanting change in the organization after missing the postseason. The Bengals responded to Chase by signing four new starters on defense in defensive linemen Dexter Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen and safety Bryan Cook. Cincinnati’s front office and ownership made a valiant effort to improve their roster this offseason.

Now, it’s up to the players to put it all together on the field and make it work.

“The intensity is high,” Chase said. “I feel like we (have) a good opportunity this year, we just got to capitalize when it happens when we see how it happens when somebody steps up to get us. 

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ja’Marr Chase not bothered by early camp scuffle at Bengals camp