CINCINNATI -- Bengals star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase said he is fine after suffering a left knee injury that cut his practice short Tuesday.
Chase was attempting to haul in a deep pass down the right sideline when the injury occurred. After a few anxious moments, the Bengals star climbed back to his feet and limped off under his own power. He was then briefly evaluated by head trainer Matt Summers before returning to the sideline to watch the remainder of practice with the rest of the team.
The two-time All-Pro receiver said the injury is considered a hyperextension but not very serious.
"I was trying to go practice today," Chase said. "I was trying to get back in, y'all. I promise."
Chase said it'll be up to others inside the building to see how much work he does during the rest of the preseason. Cincinnati has one exhibition contest left, a road game Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bengals did not play any of their starters in the team's second preseason game, a win against the Chicago Bears.
Cincinnati has had a relatively healthy training camp. Safety Bryan Cook and cornerback Dax Hill have been nursing soft-tissue injuries, while defensive end Shemar Stewart avoided a serious injury when he suffered a hyperextended left knee on the first day of camp.
However, Cook returned to team drills Tuesday. Hill continued his rehab work during practice and Stewart has also been making progress ahead of the team's Sept. 13 season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Chase was uncertain how the injury occurred. He was matched up against cornerback DJ Turner II and was adjusting to a deep pass from quarterback Joe Burrow, suggesting that he might have taken a bad step, causing the knee to slightly buckle.
Turner immediately went over to check on him.
"I was just trying to make sure he was good," Turner said after practice. "The next play, nothing like that matters at all at that point."
Chase has been a prolific member of Cincinnati's offensive since being drafted with the No. 5 pick in 2021. He has made the Pro Bowl in all of his NFL seasons, won the receiving triple crown in 2024 (leader in receiving yards, receptions and touchdowns) and is coming off back-to-back All-Pro selections.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Chase signed a four-year contract extension worth $161 million that still carries the second-highest average annual value among wide receivers, according to OverTheCap.com.
Chase enters this year ranked fourth in franchise history in total receptions (520) and fifth in receiving yards (6,837). The longer practice went Tuesday, the more the tension eased around the Bengals star player. Fellow wide receiver Tee Higgins took off his pads and joined Chase as a spectator in what he called a veteran rest day. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II stopped by to chat during a break in drills, and he and Chase shared a laugh.
It was a vastly different scene from what could have transpired.
When Turner was asked where Chase stood among Bengals players the team could least afford to lose, he cracked a large smile.
"You can answer that question," Turner said. "You know we can't lose him."