Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
Joe Burrow comments on Ja'Marr Chase's training camp fight.
Ja’Marr Chase was at the center of a training camp fight on the first day of the offseason session. He was seen ripping a teammate’s helmet off and tossing it across the field.
Joe Burrow and a number of other Bengals commented on the melee after the fact. The team got excited watching the chaos unfold.
Fighting, obviously, is not condoned on gameday. NFL players need to keep emotions in check when on the field. Failure to do so will result in punishment, as Chase found out last season.
Still, Cincinnati players viewed this week’s spat as a positive. Competition is alive and well. The fire should only make the team better as they look ahead to 2026.
Ja’Marr Chase fights teammates at camp.
A better look at day one’s fight.
Ja’Marr ripped off and tossed DJ’s helmet, jawed with the entire defense, and then flinched at Jalen (who for a split second squared up at WR1).@WLWT pic.twitter.com/tIa01kioZB
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) July 29, 2026
In the clip, the wideout is seen ripping off DJ Turner’s helmet and tossing it aside. Defensive teammate Jalen Davis then squared up to Chase, who gave him a love tap before the two were separated.
Bengals players were asked about the fight after the practice session. Most saw it as a good thing, particularly those involved.
“We’re just competing,” Davis said in a post-practice interview. “The energy’s got to be like that on both sides of the field. I hope there’s a fight every day.”
Turner echoed that sentiment, saying, “We’re just competing. There’s nothing else to it.”
Starting quarterback Joe Burrow, while not directly involved, provided the most comical response to the situation while addressing media Wednesday afternoon.
Joe Burrow’s reaction to the small scuffle at Bengals practice involving Ja’Marr Chase 🤣
“If you can punch somebody in the face in about 15-20 seconds and get back lined up, that’s probably ideal” pic.twitter.com/n8I5Tpu5ox
— Hailmarypass (@Hailmarypass_) July 29, 2026
“(Ja’Marr Chase) sure had (an edge),” Burrow said. “(Turner) did, too. Those are two of the best in the league, and they’re going to be going at it every day, so whatever those guys need to get excited to get better, go ahead and do it.
“(I like it) to an extent. When it starts to interrupt practice, not too much, but if you can punch somebody in the face in about 15-20 seconds and get back lined up, that’s probably ideal.”
While it can liven the mood at training camp, fighting is not something that can trickle into game play. Chase will need to keep emotions in check in order to best serve his team.
Ja’Marr Chase was suspended in 2025.
The former first-round pick has never been one to mince words. He’s been trash talking since entering the league in 2021.
While he admitted to lessening the back and forth with opponents in 2024, emotions get the best of us all at one point or another.
“(Head coach) Zac (Taylor) told me twice that, ‘You don’t have to say so much.’ That’s what he told me. You don’t have to say so much … just keep the words at a minimum and let my play do the talking. And you know that’s respectful. I can understand that.”
-Ja’Marr Chase
Chase was unable to follow his head coach’s advice in a 2025 matchup with Pittsburgh. He spit in Jalen Ramsey’s face during the fourth quarter of the game. It resulted in a one-game suspension and cost him more than $500,000.
Emotions boiled over once again this week in training camp. There will be no punishment in this instance. With that said, fighting won’t be permitted on gameday. Instead, he’ll need to use the fire to fuel his play.