Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has never been one to hold back when talking about his hunger to win. But it’s the four words he chose just days before training camp opens that have fans and teammates buzzing. In fact, Chase’s strong message leaves little doubt about the mindset he’s carrying into the new season after missing the playoffs for three straight seasons.

“It’s kill or be killed,” Chase captioned his Instagram post, showing his last workout video from Miami before reporting to training camp. The video featured the five-time Pro Bowler participating in intense agility hurdles, sprints, and catches while wearing a Bengals helmet.

Training camp season is here, and the Bengals are right on schedule. While plenty of NFL teams have already kicked things off, Cincinnati doesn’t officially report until Tuesday, with camp running from July 26 through August 16 at team headquarters downtown.

In the video, Chase gave fans a glimpse into his headspace before heading back to work.

“Alright, right now we in Miami, man. Literally last workout before we report, bro. Man, I ain’t gonna lie, it’s been a good offseason,” Chase said in the video. “Honestly, can’t complain about nothing… Haters gonna hate, but the one thing that ain’t stopping is that money. That s*** is always gonna flow, you know why? ‘Cause we working. If y’all ain’t working, wake the f*** up.”

It’s hard to argue with that kind of confidence when you look at what he’s put together. Last season alone, Chase caught 125 receptions for 1,412 yards and eight touchdowns. The year before that, he led the league in catches (127), yards (1,708), and touchdowns (17) to claim the receiving Triple Crown.

Still, personal success isn’t really what’s driving him this year. He’s got his sights set on something bigger for the team.

 “My biggest thing this year, going forward, is making the playoffs, man,” Chase said per a May 2025 report by ESPN. “We’ve got to get to the playoffs. That’s my first step, but the team goal is to win the division.”

His own numbers speak for themselves, but the Bengals as a whole are walking into this season under a lot more pressure. They haven’t made the playoffs in three years, and last season showed just how quickly things can unravel.

Cincinnati started 2-0, but everything changed in Week 2 when quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a turf toe injury. From there, the team lost 10 of its next 12 games, effectively ending any playoff hopes.

And the numbers back up just how rough it got defensively, too. The Bengals allowed 6.2 yards per play last season, the worst in the entire league. They also allowed the most touchdowns against them, with 60. This year, the Bengals seem to be taking serious steps to prepare their defense.

The Bengals bet big on fixing their defense

Losing linebacker Trey Hendrickson to the Baltimore Ravens in free agency definitely stung, but the Bengals didn’t sit around feeling sorry for themselves. They went out and made a bold move for their defense, sending this year’s first-round pick to the New York Giants for Dexter Lawrence.

Lawrence spent seven seasons in New York building a reputation as one of the more disruptive interior linemen in football, racking up 30.5 sacks and 103 quarterback hits along the way. Now he’s set to anchor the Bengals’ defensive front.

He’s not the only new face on defense either. Safety Bryan Cook, a Cincinnati native who won a pair of Super Bowls during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, joins the secondary. Add in DL Jonathan Allen, DE Boye Mafe and safety Kyle Dugger, and it’s pretty clear what the front office was prioritizing this offseason.

After allowing a league-worst 2,500 rushing yards last season, something clearly had to change.

Joe Burrow, who’s seen plenty of roster turnover since being drafted in 2020, says this group feels different from any previous roster.

 “I think this is the most talented roster that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Burrow said per a May 2026 report by ESPN. “We got guys that work really hard to put themselves in position to perform well, perform to our standard. We haven’t necessarily done that for a couple of years, so we brought some guys in who have been there and done that and have their own standard of play and are going to live up to that.”

With Ja’Marr Chase on the offense, and several additions to bolster the defense, the Bengals may have a legitimate chance for a playoff run this season. Now it’s just a matter of proving it.