How Much More Explosive Can Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase Get? In His Mind, a Lot

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase spent part of is Thursday news conference echoing what the team’s offensive coaches have been talking about all offseason – getting more explosive.

Last year, the Bengals had 105 explosives (runs of 12+ yards, passes of 16+ yards last year) among their 1,057 offensive snaps, putting them 22nd in explosive percentage.

And that wasn’t an outlier.

Since ranking 11th in explosive percentage during their Super Bowl season in 2021, the Bengals have finished 20th in 2024, 26th in 2023 and 24th in 2022.

“Defenses are adjusting to us. That’s what they’re supposed to do,” Chase said. “It’s our job for us to get better, be better than last year and make those adjustments to be more explosive.

“We’ve just got to see it, recognize it and be able to adjust for the next play.”

While stat sites use 16-yards as the threshold for an explosive play, Chase uses 20 as his measurement, whether it’s an over-the-top deep pass or a short grab where he makes one person miss and takes over for a big gain.

He makes so many highlight-worthy plays and has explosive potential on seemingly every touch, it’s easy to overlook how much those big chunks have waned.

But since ranking fourth in the league with 22 receptions of at least 20 yards as a rookie in 2021, Chase has ranked 22nd in 2022 (13), 24th in 2023 (14), fifth in 2024 (19) and 15th last year (15).

From 2021-25 as a whole, Chase ranks sixth with 83 catches of at least 20 yards.

The five ahead of him are:

Justin Jefferson 120

CeeDee Lamb 105

Davante Adams 86

A.J. Brown 85

Tyreek Hill 84

Chase said he has struggled with missed assignments or anything of that nature, but he admitted he’s missed some subtle clues from quarterback Joe Burrow that could have led to some big some plays.

“Me and Joe are already talking about how we can make explosives,” Chase said. “And when I finally get it in camp, it’s just: ‘How can I react to it when I see it in the game?’ So we’re practicing now, and when the game comes, we see it and attack it and it’s explosive.”

So does the explosive percentage equate to team success?

Here is where the final four teams have ranked the last five seasons:

2025 – Seahawks (eighth), Patriots (first), Rams (fourth), Broncos (21st)

2024 – Eagles (seventh), Chiefs (31st), Rams (19th), Bills (12th)

2023 – Chiefs (18th), 49ers (1st), Bills (8t), Lions (4th)

2022 – Chiefs (1st), Eagles (2nd), Bengals (25th), 49ers (5th)

2021 – Rams (11th), Bengals (14th), 49ers (3rd), Chiefs (16h)

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel and be sure to check us out on your favorite audio platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Amazon. Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns, and so much more! We're a one-stop shop for all things Cincinnati Bengals! Join the 65,000+ Bengals fans who subscribe to us on YouTube.

Add us as a preferred source on Google