Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has spent the bulk of his offseason making sure his body is ready for the 2024 season.
After all, Chase played through multiple injuries last year, including a back issue.
And it sounds like he’s telling quarterback Joe Burrow to do the same.
“The only thing I’m telling (Burrow) is know how to dial off, like he’s been telling me,” Chase said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “You’re a pro now. If you’re feeling tweaks in your hand, you have to know how to relax yourself some time. It’s like me and my hip. (Head coach) Zac (Taylor) told me to let him know what I’m feeling in my hip and he let me do what I had to for the games.”
Burrow has already said similar things this offseason in terms of better listening to his body when it comes to trying to push through pain and discomfort. It’s a lesson undoubtedly reinforced by that non-contact calf injury last year after an offseason of training.
This is part of the reason why Burrow’s recent absence from a voluntary OTAs practice wasn’t that big of a deal — precaution is best. That someone like Chase is in Burrow’s ear about it too is something Bengals fans have to appreciate.