Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase plans to test his hip in practice this week following Cincinnati’s Week 10 bye.
The Bengals (5-4) play the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-6) on Sunday, a rematch of their overtime loss in Week 1.
The Bengals opted not to place Chase on injured reserve in part because of the bye week, head coach Zac Taylor said. A move to IR requires a player to miss four games.
“His mind his good. He feels good. We’re going to take it slow,” quarterback Joe Burrow said last week. “I know he feels good and wants to get back out there. It’s a long process. We’ll see when he comes back. Hopefully maybe after the bye, we’ll see.”
Monday marks the start of the 21-day practice window for starting defensive tackle DJ Reader, who was placed on injured reserve Sept. 29 with a knee injury.
Reader injured the MCL in his left knee in Week 3 against the New York Jets and has been working on the rehab field during practices, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said.
Chase, 22, initially injured the hip in Week 6 against New Orleans. He then aggravated it on a non-contact play in the closing seconds of the first half of the Bengals’ 35-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 23.
After limping off the field, Chase returned to play in the second half.
Chase has team-leading totals in catches (47), receiving yards (605) and receiving touchdowns (six). He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2021, catching 81 passes for 1,455 yards and 13 TDs in 17 starts.
Chase missed games against the Browns and Panthers before the bye week.
–Field Level Media
