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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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Wednesday was the first day of training camp for the Cincinnati Bengals and things got heated in the spirit of competition between teammates.
Wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase tore off defensive back DJ Turner II's helmet after one play and tossed it about 20 yards away. That prompted another DB teammate, Jalen Davis, to get into a confrontation with Chase on the field.
Eventually, coaches and teammates broke up the scuffle, and reporters asked the star receiver a day later what the incident meant.
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"Nothing for real. It's really football at the end of the day. It happens. Gotta bounce back. It's competitiveness. Everybody's just getting everybody better at the end of the day. We gotta do a better job of just getting back to practice and not getting distracted," Chase told reporters at Thursday's media session.
Chase also said it's "exactly" what he wants from his team's defensive backs, as they show competitiveness and fight on the field.
More news: Joe Burrow Gets Honest About Bengals Training Camp Fight
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"I ain't never seen JD like that," Chase also admitted. "It's a little new to me. I like it. I like it."
"I play with a lot of feistiness under me, you know what I'm saying? I think me just bringing it to practice, doing it with the guys at practice, I think that's gonna help those guys get better, because you never know who does that in the game with them," he said.
Chase also admitted he was trying to set a tone on the first day of practice with his teammates. That seemed to work due to how fired up the defensive backs got in the moment.
He said that's been the Bengals' emphasis each season: coming out fast and coming out with some anger. That could be just the recipe for this team to regain its footing in the AFC and make it back to the playoffs.
Last season, the team finished at 6-11, with that record hindered by quarterback Joe Burrow getting hurt and only playing in eight of his team's games. This season, they'll still be battling for the division with the Baltimore Ravens, and potentially the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Chase, considered one of the best, if not the best, wide receivers in the NFL, tallied 1,412 yards last season, which was fourth in the league. He was tied for third most receptions with 125 and also scored eight touchdowns. He doesn't appear to be an issue for the team.
Meanwhile, Cincinnati's defense was among the worst, ranked second-to-last in the NFL, with 380.9 yards per game allowed to opponents last season. However, this team made several significant moves to address that issue in the offseason, including trading with the New York Giants for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II.
It doesn't appear this was a distraction, as Chase also said he and Davis talked about the incident afterward. If everyone's fired up and both sides are firing on all cylinders with Burrow back healthy, this could be a playoff contender once again.
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