Ja’Marr Chase injury update: Is Bengals star WR available to play against Texans?

Taylor revealed that they are monitoring Chase's progress.

Ja’Marr Chase injury update: Is Bengals star WR available to play against Texans?

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase (Image via IMAGO)

Ja’Marr Chase said a few days ago that he was feeling okay and was eyeing a quick return to the Cincinnati Bengals starting lineup. However, according to the latest reports from head coach Zac Taylor, he will have to stay put for now.

Chase had limited practice for the second straight day on Friday. He arrived at the designated time wearing workout clothes, but was mostly having short runs to get rid of the jitters from his body. After the end of the practice, they decided to put the 23-year-old as questionable to play.

YouTube video

Taylor revealed that even though he thought Chase was moving well, he will be under observation for now.

FS Video
We'll see. I thought he (Chase) was good.

What happened to Ja’Marr Chase?

Ja’Marr Chase hurt his back while trying to catch a deep pass from quarterback Joe Burrow during the 24-18 win over the Buffalo Bills. A day after the game, he revealed that he was feeling a little in his lower back.

Ja’Marr Chase (Image via Bleacher Report)

He continued to play even though the pain steadily grew as the game went on. In the end, he was part of 63 of the 70 snaps that Cincinnati took. 

I'm alive; that's the best thing right now. I fell on my back. As for right now, that's all I know.

Later, the Bengals did an MRI, according to the Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. On Thursday, Chase revealed that he was feeling fine. But he is not 100% sure whether they will allow him to start on Sunday against the Houston Texans.

All I can do is pray, be a good teammate, and be there for those guys. Everybody is counting on me to be healthy.

The Bengals wide receiver core is thin

Chase is not the only one who is in doubt for the Texans game. His wide receiver partner, Tee Higgins, suffered a hamstring injury Wednesday and has been absent from the practice ever since. He watched his fellow teammates do the usual drills from the sidelines on Thursday. The 24-year-old was not available to answer any questions from the media the following day.

This leaves the Bengals with veteran Tyler Boyd and rookie Andrei Losivas. Boyd is one of the longest-serving players on the team and has 300 yards this season. While Losivas has only taken a handful of snaps.

In case you missed it: