NFL analyst grades Ja’Marr Chase among disappointing preseason rookies

Ja’Marr Chase has played 15 snaps in his NFL career so far, yet there’s been no shortage of discussion surrounding him this month.

The Bengals’ fifth-overall pick from this year’s NFL Draft has had his fair share of bright moments in practice and underwhelming moments under the lights. The sample size couldn’t really be smaller, but while some rookies are playing great, Chase hasn’t reached that level of consistency yet.

Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports dished out some rookie grades through the first two weeks of preseason football and settled on a D+ for Chase:

Three drops on three targets against the Washington Football team. That’s the headline with Chase. And it’s an ugly one. I’m, of course, not ready to bury him yet. Not even remotely close. Chase’s hands were not a problem at LSU. In fact, he dominated in traffic in that epic 2019 of his. Chase has gotten open on a handful of the 10 routes he’s run. His lone catch came on a play I hope the Bengals use with Chase frequently — a quick screen. He’s A.J. Brown-esque after the catch.

It’s a fair assessment of Chase thus far. He’s been on the field for 10 passing plays and has hauled in just one of his four targets. Trapasso is CBS’ go-to guy for young player evaluations, and he knows Chase is capable of proving this early grade wrong down the road.

If you think Chase got his lowest grade, you’re wrong. Detroit Lions right tackle Penei Sewell was given a D for his first two weeks. Chase and Sewell’s coinciding struggles are a bit ironic considering the debate involving both of them amongst Bengals fans this offseason, but both players are very young and remain very talented. It’s silly to start running victory laps just four months after the draft.

Chase has one more game this preseason to build some momentum for the real games starting next month.