Patriots Expected To See This Bengals Star Receiver In Week 1

The New England Patriots will see a gauntlet of talented wide receivers from the opposition in the first month of the season. That will certainly be the case from the opening kickoff in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Contracts have been quite the story for a team that's just two seasons removed from a trip to the Super Bowl. After franchise-tagging wideout Tee Higgins, another star receiver had been in a hold-in throughout training camp in fourth-year receiver Ja'Marr Chase. Still, in search of a new deal, Chase did finally participate in practice for the fourth time this summer. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor expects Chase to play against the Patriots, per ESPN's Ben Baby.

Chase totaled 29 touchdowns, including three more in the postseason, with three straight seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards to open his NFL career with the Bengals after a standout college career at LSU alongside his current quarterback Joe Burrow.

In his lone matchup against the Patriots on Christmas Eve in 2022, Chase had eight catches for 79 yards with a fumble in a narrow 22-18 win for the Bengals at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots visit the Bengals on Sept. 8 with kickoff set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS.