Ja'Marr Chase says Bengals face higher expectations due to defensive improvements - ESPN

CINCINNATI — Ja'Marr Chase wasn't shy about letting everyone know the Cincinnati Bengals needed to improve defensively.

It was so blatantly obvious to Chase last year that he didn't feel the need to explicitly point it out as the Bengals sputtered to a third straight year without a playoff appearance.

This year at the Pro Bowl Games, Chase said he was not subtle about recruiting players to join the Bengals.

Whatever the method, it worked. Cincinnati overhauled its defense by adding three notable players — including defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II. And for a team that was minutes away from winning it all at the end of his rookie season, Chase believes the recent additions on defense put another Super Bowl trip back in the spotlight.

«At the end of the day, we got to the Super Bowl in '21 and never went back,» Chase said Tuesday. «So, expectations have always been high since 2021. But 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.»

The Bengals finished 30th in scoring defense (28.9 points per game) and were last in yards allowed per play (6.2) last season, according to ESPN Research.

When he was at the Pro Bowl Games in Los Angeles, Chase was eager to sell prospective free agents on playing with the Bengals.

«I didn't care,» Chase said. «Let's go. If you want to sign, let's sign here and let's do it.»

Chase wasn't willing to reveal what exactly his pitch was. But months of being vocal about improving the roster ultimately culminated in a series of moves, punctuated by arguably the most aggressive in franchise history — trading the 10th overall pick in this year's draft to the New York Giants for Lawrence, a three-time Pro Bowler and one