Ja'Marr Chase made it clear: 'I don't wanna play QB' -- but knows the Bengals offense well enough to do it
The Bengals star is catching passes from Joe Flacco at the moment but could theoretically step in if needed
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The Cincinnati Bengals' offense has struggled tremendously without star quarterback Joe Burrow. That's not a surprise given Burrow is one of the league's elite QBs, but when you've invested in star receivers like Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, the inability to get them the football stands out.
After a few poor starts with Jake Browning, the Bengals made a rare intra-division trade with the Browns to bring in veteran Joe Flacco, and the offense showed some mild improvement in his first start since making the move to southern Ohio. The best thing he did was get the ball to Chase, who had 10 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Packers, but some have wondered if it'd be possible for Chase to be even more involved.
On Wednesday, Chase was asked if he thought he knew the offense well enough to step in and play quarterback himself if needed.
"I mean, I know it. I can — I don't want to play quarterback. Let me just say that," Chase said. "I don't want to play quarterback, but I can tell guys like, you here, here, here and here. Yeah, I can do that, but I do not wanna play quarterback."
This is a savvy, veteran answer from Chase. He gets out in front of it by making it abundantly clear he has no interest in playing quarterback, while noting that he knows the offense well enough to get guys into the right positions.
It's never a great sign when, even in fun, the star receiver is getting asked if he thinks he could play quarterback if needed. For now, the Bengals star will be happy to catch passes from a solid veteran in Flacco. He will hope that Burrow, whom he starred alongside going back to their LSU days, will be able to return this season, and I'm sure his appreciation for his longtime QB has only increased during this absence.
