When Ja'Marr Chase and Joe Burrow are both on the field, the Cincinnati Bengals are pretty tough to beat.
Making sure that they're ready and able to play hopefully won't be as tough going forward.
As Burrow continues to work back from a torn ligament in his right wrist, his No. 1 receiver remains in his corner regarding the prioritization of rest over powering through injury.
Chase went into further detail with Bengals.com's Geoff Hobson at Joe Mixon's youth camp this weekend.
"The only thing I'm telling [Burrow] is know how to dial off, like he's been telling me," Chase said. "You're a pro now. If you're feeling tweaks in your hand, you have to know how to relax yourself some time."
This isn't anything new between the two. It was Chase who made it public last year that Burrow should take the first few weeks of the regular season off to fully rest his calf injury. The former fifth-overall draft pick from three years ago had first-hand experience on why that strategy would've been wise.
Back in 2022, Chase suffered a hip injury that led him to missing four games. Once he returned, he was fully healthy and able to play at his best. He credits the communication with head coach Zac Taylor for how smoothly that went down.
"It's like me and my hip. Zac told me to let him know what I'm feeling in my hip and he let me do what I had to for the games."
Burrow's recovery is obviously a different task. He's been cleared to throw for around two months, and all signs are pointing positive through the first week of OTAs. But rest will be key throughout the next several months as inflammation will be dealt with in his wrist.
Chase and his fellow teammates will understand if Burrow needs to take it easy every now and then.
