How LSU's Ja'Marr Chase Fits Into Cincinnati Bengals Offense

When the Bengals selected Ja'Marr Chase No. 5 overall on Thursday night, the pick was met with a mixed bag. While many LSU fans were ecstatic to see Chase reunite with quarterback Joe Burrow, selecting a wide receiver over an offensive lineman was met with some hesitancy.

Cincinnati did wind up selecting multiple offensive linemen in the draft and the addition of Reilly Reiff in free agency certainly lightens the blow. Of course, another aspect to selecting Chase is that he gives Burrow another option to get the ball out quickly to if protection breaks down.

Of course in a draft where multiple players opted out, including Chase, getting those in depth evaluations was diffiucult. Luckily for the Bengals, they had an inside man who could tell them all they needed to know, Burrow.

“He’s a premier receiver in this draft,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “He does a lot of things really well. And, you know, when you watch the tape in 2019, it’s fun to watch Joe play again, because that’s the most recent tape you’re watching, but tremendous player and it’s obvious why it’s put himself in conversation to be a high pick.”

The fit next to Burrow is obvious but we wanted to know how exactly Chase will come in and mesh with the Cincinnati offense and personnel at receiver. We reached out to AllBengals reporter James Rapien, who explained how Chase best fits in the Cincinnati offense.

The Bengals took Chase over Penei Sewell because they believe he can be an absolute game changer on offense. They're going to line him up at the 'X' position primarily and give him the chance to win on the outside.

They won't admit this publicly, but he's without a doubt their number one receiving option. His ability to make plays downfield will open things up for Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd, much like it did for Terrace Marshall and Justin Jefferson at LSU.

It wouldn't be surprising to see the Bengals move Chase into the backfield once in a while or give him the occasional reverse. Tigers' fans are familiar with his ability to run through defenders. The Bengals love that about him.

Chase's role will be similar to what he did at LSU. The Bengals fell in love with the idea of surrounding Burrow with three high-end threats at wide receiver. Chase is the most talented of the group and his presence is going to make life much easier on the rest of the offense.