Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase returning to practice field this week, status for Sunday TBD

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase will return to the practice field this week, coach Zac Taylor said Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

Taylor told reporters that Chase will be worked into practice and they’ll see how it goes.
Taylor offered no prediction on Chase’s availability for Sunday’s game.
Chase’s last game was Oct. 23 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Backstory

Chase suffered a hip injury during the Bengals’ Week 7 matchup against Atlanta. The Bengals didn’t place him on injured reserve, which indicated that his absence would be less than four games. Chase didn’t suffer a dislocation nor does he require surgery.

Chase missed the Bengals’ games against the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bengals went 2-1 during that stretch.

Chase has played seven games thus far in 2022. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year has 47 receptions for 605 yards and six touchdowns this season.

The Bengals face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

When will Chase return for Cincinnati?

The Bengals had Sunday’s Divisional Playoff rematch against the Titans in mind when they decided not place Chase on injured reserve, a move that would have required the receiver to miss a minimum of four games, delaying his earliest possible return to the Dec. 4 AFC Championship Game rematch against the Chiefs. Though Chase is eligible to play Sunday, this is merely the hope at this point, not a plan. The expectation is that he will be on the rehab field at Wednesday’s practice, and how he responds will determine what type of work, and how much, he does later in the week. The Bengals are ruling it out, but there’s a long way to go before he’s deemed ready to play. — Morrison

What his return would mean for the Bengals’ offense

It’s impossible to overstate what Chase, the 2021 offensive rookie of the year, means to the Cincinnati offense, but you also can’t ignore the fact that the Bengals have posted their two highest point totals, and two of the top four yardage amounts, in their last two games without Chase. This is not a withering offense pining for its top weapon’s return. Tee Higgins is coming off one of the best games of his career with nine catches for 148 yards against the Steelers, and role players such as wide receiver Trenton Irwin and running back Samaje Perine combined for 94 receiving yards and four touchdown catches Sunday in the win. The approach with Chase is going to be conservative this week with the idea being to get him ready for the long haul as opposed to rushing him back for the Titans game, as important as it may be in their playoff pursuit. — Morrison