Optimism is abundant across many NFL fanbases and organizations at this time of year, but arguably no franchise got a bigger shot in the arm than the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason.
Whether it was the Dexter Lawrence trade, the retention of every offensive starter, or any number of other acquisitions to boost the defense, there's a reason Joe Burrow says this is the most talented roster he's been a part of in the NFL.
One key piece to complement Burrow is tailback Chase Brown, a fifth-round pick who's entering a contract year and has proven his value. Unfortunately, OTAs may expose the fact that there aren't many backs to look to when Brown isn't on the field.
Bengals' running back depth behind Chase Brown is flimsy at best
Unless we really start to see something out of second-year sixth-rounder Tahj Brooks, who was mute-quiet as a rookie, who else does Cincinnati have to be excited about from the backfield?
Samaje Perine is a nice story and looked solid last year amid his second stint with the team. However, Perine turns 31 in September, and isn't exactly the most explosive back in the first place. Brooks isn't a real burner with elite long speed/big play ability either.
It'd be nice for the Bengals' scheme to become more multiple in the running game. Brown is a legit RB1, and the offensive line is as athletic as it's ever been during the Burrow era.
But based on the Bengals' lack of activity to acquire help behind Brown, that facet of the offense will likely remain status-quo vanilla as can be in 2026. That could prove costly the longer the season goes on.
Because yeah, all indications are, Cincinnati will absolutely run Brown into the ground as the predominant feature back. This is where things could get really weird.
Say Brown tweaks something, or gets banged up during the season. Or, to stay more current, he takes on a lighter workload in OTAs to avoid some unforeseen, needless setback.
In any and all of those scenarios, it'll be evident that he clearly has the most burst and talent of anyone in that running back room. The entire offense will suffer whenever Brown is not on the gridiron, but to saddle him with such a heavy workload is to limit his future upside, and possibly, could be a leverage play to discourage his reps from agreeing to terms on an extension.
The Bengals love to stonewall their own talent at the negotiating table. Brown could be next up for that treatment, especially given that Cincinnati spent a lot of money this offseason, and cornerback DJ Turner is atop the priority list of second contract recipients.
Not that I'm discounting Brooks' NFL future, or dismissing Perine's value as a solid-not-spectacular third-down back. It's just that, well, you won't find the Bengals anywhere near the top 10, never mind listed in the honorable mentions, among the NFL's top running back tandems.
Paging Alvin Kamara after OTAs? I wouldn't hate it!
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