Could a Ja'Marr Chase Passing Play Find It's Way Into the Bengals' Playbook in 2026?

In five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has checked just about every possible box when it comes to individual accolades.

He was named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2021, won the receiving Triple Crown in 2024, set multiple single-game and single-season reception and yardage numbers and signed a four-year, $161 million contract that made him the highest paid non-quarterback in the league.

Chase also has been named to the Pro Bowl in all five of his seasons, and he’s been voted first team All Pro in back-to-back years.

What could possibly be next for him to achieve?

“Throw some passes?” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor joked.

Or at least we think he was joking.

Taylor, after all, called a play for running back Joe Mixon to throw a pass in the Super Bowl of all games. And it worked for a touchdown to Tee Higgins.

In 58 seasons of Bengals football, there have been 1,285 touchdown passes thrown in 930 regular season and postseason games.

Of those 1,285 scoring passes, only eight were thrown by players who didn’t play quarterback.

Prior to Mixon, wide receiver Mohamed Sanu threw an 18-yard TD to quarterback Andy Dalton in a victory against the Tennessee Titans in 2014, and a 73-yard TD to wide receiver A.J. Green in a win against Washington in 2012.

In 1994, punter Lee Johnson threw a 7-yard TD to fullback Jeff Cothran in a loss to the Steelers. Johnson’s also had a 4-yard TD to tight end Rodney Holman in a win against the Patriots in 1990.

In 1985, running back and Ring of Honor nominee James Brooks tossed an 8-yard TD to wide receiver Eddie Brown in a loss against Washington.

And the first non-quarterback in franchise history to every throw a touchdown pass was running back Archie Griffin, who had an 18-yard touchdown to running back Linville Elliott in a win against the Seahawks in 1977. The following year, Griffin threw a 3-yarder to tight end Rick Walker in a season-ending victory against the Browns.

After joking – maybe – about Chase, Taylor went on to say how much he appreciates the fact that his wide receiver is constantly aiming to get better even though he’s already one of the best in the game.

“He's always working. He's a guy that, even when he wasn't here in the building was grinding, and you know that. You trust that,” Taylor said after watching Chase report Monday for the final phase of the voluntary offseason program.

“When he steps on the field yesterday for the first time, I don't know if he feels differently from when he left to here, but it looks the same to us. There's just such an explosion there and confidence, and so he looks really good.”

Chase has had at least 128 targets in each of his five seasons.

Since arriving in the league in 2021, his 767 targets are the second most in the league behind Davante Adams’ 779.

Targets became an official stat in 2009, but Pro Football Reference has expanded its target data all the way back to 1978.

In that time, Chase is one of only two players to record at least 120 targets in each of his first five seasons.

Hall of Famer Randy Moss did it in his first six. Moss’ total through his first five seasons was 730, 37 shy of Chase’s 767 through his first five years.

Given that, Taylor said there isn’t really a way to use Chase more. But the Bengals are always looking for ways to use their top receiver differently.

“I mean, he gets as many targets as anybody in the league,” he said. “I would say (offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher) does a really good job of staying on top of ways to be creative with him and make sure he's maybe harder to find sometimes.

“There's times you don't want to let people off the hook,” Taylor added. “You want to put him outside, and if you’re going to leave him one on one. That's tough. But also ways that we continue to build him inside. He had a ton of targets in the slot last year. We used him out of the backfield. So I think we've been very creative. To say to utilize him more is a challenge because he’s a triple crown winner two years ago, so we've obviously found ways to get him the ball.”

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