Cincinnati Bengals HC Addresses Star WR Situation After Missed Practice

It is certainly an interesting time in the building as the Cincinnati Bengals sit less than two weeks away from their opening game against the Patriots .

Star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase has been seeking a new contract throughout the offseason and has been sitting out practice as a result. On Tuesday, head coach Zac Taylor said that Chase would be available for week one and that the team expected him to be practicing this week.

Despite that, once Wednesday rolled around, Chase showed up to practice in street clothes , putting everything Taylor said the day before in doubt. After practice, this was naturally the first thing Taylor was asked about, and he essentially said that he made a mistake.

"I think I probably put my foot in my mouth speaking too quickly," Taylor said. "Again, this is a day-to-day situation. We'll just keep seeing it as that...I think every day is a new day. We'll keep working through it. Not going to make predictions on what tomorrow brings...At the end of the day, Ja'Marr's a great dude that means a lot to this team, and we'll just continue to take it day to day"

What exactly is going on with the Bengals' star receiver remains a massive question mark, but even more concerning is whether or not his status for week one is actually in doubt. It feels unlikely that Chase would actually sit games out, but when he is still not practicing a week and a half from the season, it's fair to be alarmed.

A new contract doesn't feel imminent, and the season is essentially here. How Bengals brass navigates this situation over the next week will be fascinating to see.