Why Ja'Marr Chase returned to Bengals practice despite contract standoff
The latest on the contract drama between the Cincinnati Bengals and Ja'Marr Chase continues to be good news.
Wednesday, Chase was a "limited" participant in practice, with the videos of him walking in pads and eventually repping with Joe Burrow quickly going viral.
Those who thought that meant contract talk progress would be correct, too.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that very thing later the same night, though suggested that doesn't mean a deal is imminent.
"The Bengals have made significant offers to Ja'Marr Chase," Rapoport said. "I would say at least somewhat in the neighborhood of what he wants. They do not have a deal yet. I wouldn't describe this as close. But I would say that it's at least close enough for JaMarr Chase to practice. That is a big deal. I know there's some optimism."
The fact the Bengals are close enough to get Chase on the field ahead of Week 1 would seem to be a good sign, though. That is much better than say, needing to sit back and analyze his cryptic social media posts or the messages he's sending to the team by sitting out.
Earlier this week, a supposed "stalemate" was broken when the Bengals got more aggressive on an extension in response to Chase's camp finally opening up the talks more.
Given the pace of things now, one has to think that a deal remains possible between right now and through Saturday night.
For what it's worth, the Bengals announced the Joe Burrow extension last year on a Thursday night as the Kansas City Chiefs opened the season's kickoff. Those Chiefs again open the season this week on Thursday night. For what it's worth, anyway.
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This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Why Ja'Marr Chase returned to Bengals practice despite contract standoff
