Ja'Marr Chase is ecstatic, and the reason might not be surprising to many. The Cincinnati Bengals All-Pro wide receiver joined the media for the first time this season. Over there, he shed some light on Myles Garrett's departure from the AFC.

"Good for us, but I don't really care. But good for us," said Chase during the presser after June 2's OTA workout.

Chase's sigh of relief is understandable. The Cleveland Browns traded Garrett to the NFC franchise, the Los Angeles Rams. Over the years, Garrett had truly become a problem for the AFC and the Bengals, in particular.

Garrett has broken the NFL's single-season sack record against the Cincinnati Bengals. With his 23rd sack on Joe Burrow, with four minutes to go in the final game of the season, he surpassed Michael Strahan's record.

Now with his departure to Los Angeles, the Cincinnati squad can breathe easy.

Burrow was the player who went down against Garrett's stern tackle in that last game.

Of Garrett's 125.5 career sacks, 17 have come against Cincinnati quarterbacks, with 12.5 of those bringing down Burrow. Since Burrow entered the league in 2020, no defender has recorded more sacks against him.

Since he plays wide receiver, Chase has never been on the receiving end of a sack from Garrett. Yet he is aware of the threat he brings. Especially since he has seen his quarterback get taken down multiple times

Last season, he sacked Burrow twice in the Bengals' season-opening 17-16 win in Cleveland. This season, the quarterback will not have to face Garrett since the Bengals and the Rams are not scheduled to play, leaving Chase and his team delighted.

As Garrett's replacement, the Cleveland Browns are receiving Jared Verse, who is a promising 25-year-old edge rusher.

So it's good news for Chase and the Bengals on the offensive end. Moreover, the fact that their defense has improved significantly with new additions warrants special mention.

Chase Says Bengals Fans Now Have Higher Expectations

The Bengals knew that with Burrow hauling the offense, the defense too needed improvements. It was their third straight year without a playoff appearance, and they needed to fix that issue. Now they have a solution.

"Now that we have improved our defense a little more, the expectations have gone up for the defense to show us what they could do," said Chase to the media.

According to ESPN's research, the Bengals were 30th in scoring defense (28.9 points per game). They were also last in yards allowed per play (6.2) last season.

The Bengals added three notable players to the lineup, like the defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, EDGE Boye Mafe (signed in free agency), and defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. That made all the difference.

"They want to push us and help us be at the next level where we know we could be at, that we know we needed," said Chase

So things are aligning well for the Bengals.

With a threat out of the way, will the Bengals be able to find their rhythm back in 2026? Share your thoughts.

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Written by

Sourav Ganguly

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar