The Facts: According to The Athletic's Jay Morrison, Chase’s goal isn’t simply to avoid a sophomore slump in 2022 but to thoroughly lay waste to the notion the same way he did with opposing defensive backs. And as was the case last summer, when he put his goals on display on his mirror, there already are some new numbers staring back at him every day. But unlike last year, he’s not ready to share specifics. “I’ve got two up there so far,” Chase said after Tuesday’s OTA practice. “I’m not going to say what they are, but I don’t think they’re hard. They’re a little more than last year, like catches and yards. I’ve still got to find my touchdown minimum. I’ll give y’all the list maybe before training camp.”

Diehards Line:Morrison notes that topping the 1,455 yards he posted as a rookie would give him the two highest yardage totals in team history. And besting his receptions total (81) would make him just the fifth Bengals player to hit that number in back-to-back seasons. HC Zac Taylor is all in on the idea of Chase being even better than he was last year when he made the Pro Bowl and was voted the offensive rookie of the year, but statistics aren’t going to be his preferred tool for measuring growth. “Catches, yards and touchdowns aren’t the things we judge players on,” Taylor said. “Ultimately we’re looking for team success. That may mean that other guys have more success because of what the defense is doing to Ja’Marr. It’s up to the coaches and Joe (Burrow) to take advantage of how teams are playing. In this fantasy football world, people always are looking at regression as this number has dropped. That’s not how we look at it.” Still, it doesn't hurt having Chase rack up big totals along the way -- as he did last season.