The Cincinnati Bengals play a regular-season game in six days. They aren't certain it will involve Ja'Marr Chase.
The star receiver attended practice on Monday, but once again wore street clothes instead of participating. With each passing day, the focus remains on whether Chase will show up at practice (and when), what he might wear, and what it all means about his chances of playing in Sunday against the New England Patriots.
"We'll just take day to day," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor told reporters Monday.
Because a resolution has yet to emerge, all Taylor can tell reporters is what he said Monday, especially after he admittedly overstepped last week and informed media members he expected Chase to participate regularly leading up to their Week 1 game against New England. He's likely going to repeat the same lines in the days ahead, especially if Chase continues to sit out, because at this point, he can't say much else without setting himself up for failure.
Taylor did note he's prepared for any outcome.
"Yeah, we're always ready," Taylor said when asked if he'd have a plan ready in case Chase doesn't play Sunday. "There's always injuries and things you've got to deal with, so we'll adapt to that."
The reason for Chase's absence -- which has been documented heavily by now -- is money. He'd like to cash in on his sky-high potential before taking the field and risking his health, which could affect his earning power.
To this point, though, the Bengals and Chase haven't come to an agreement, and Chase's intermittent hold-in has continued. Should it end -- as Taylor and Bengals fans hope it will -- the coach is hopeful Chase is prepared to play, but can't be certain at this time.
"It's impossible for me to say with 100% conviction, but I feel good about the shape that he's in," Taylor said.
That's it for the update. We'll check again tomorrow (and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) to see if anything changes.
