Last November, Chase Brown was prepping for the next opponent on the Cincinnati Bengals’ schedule and was watching film of the New England Patriots’ defense. The Patriots had recently faced the Falcons. Reviewing the tape, Brown honed in on how the Falcons were using All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson.
Brown studied a game where Robinson caught a season-high eight passes. When Brown watched the tape, he saw Robinson running slot fades, making a one-handed catch on a choice route over the middle, saving the game with a physical comeback route and even making three catches as a true outside receiver.
Brown knew that if he got the shot, he could make those same plays. He works with a receivers’ coach throughout the offseason every year, and it shows.
“I really feel like when it comes to receiving the ball, I think I’m one of the best in the league to do it,” Brown said. “Maybe I didn’t have the most diverse route tree in past years. The more you diversify it, I’m only going to get better.”
Brown said that the wrinkles in the Bengals’ offense that he’s a part of now reminds him of what the Falcons have done with Robinson.
He’s moving all over the formation, playing more in the slot than he ever has and running more jet motions than he ever has. There are wrinkles before the snap that we’ve never seen before from the Bengals, and Brown is at the center of the new ideas.
Zac Taylor once said about Ja’Marr Chase that the only position that he doesn’t play is quarterback — Chase lines up everywhere else on the field.
Now, you’re starting to see the Bengals have Brown take on a similar workload. In his fourth year in the Bengals’ offense, he’s up to the task.
“I’ve got to look at the script more this year,” Brown said. “They’re throwing me everywhere and allowing me to use my skill set more. I’m having a lot of fun with it.”
Brown had the fifth-most catches in the NFL last season. The Bengals are looking for more ways to get him the ball.
“He has played himself into a role that deserves us featuring him in what we do,” Dan Pitcher said. “That’s a third guy that has that between Ja’Marr, Tee (Higgins) and him. Is he a guy we sit down every week and say how do we get Chase Brown in position to win us this game? It is.”
Joe Burrow feels the same way about Brown’s ability as a pass catcher.
“You wouldn’t know that he’s a running back when he’s out there doing it,” Burrow said. “When you have a guy like that, you don’t have to take him off the field. You can put him in on so many different packages. You can build different packages for him in different places on the field. Obviously we’re going to get the ball in (Ja’Marr Chase’s) hands as many times as we can. But I think a close second is Chase Brown.”
Brown has really locked in on the game of Robinson, who a couple of days ago became the highest-paid running back in NFL history (until Jahmyr Gibbs signed a contract that topped Robinson’s contract today).
As he studies Robinson’s game, it helps that Brown has a man on the inside.
Brown’s twin brother, Sydney, plays safety for the Falcons.
Sydney Brown is guarding Bijan Robinson in the passing game every day in training camp.
Chase asks Sydney, “What are they doing with him?”
Chase Brown’s favorite catch of camp so far is an “Omaha” route, a quick out toward the sideline, that he ran against a Cover-2 zone. He sat in the weak spot of the zone, got the ball and used his YAC ability to make a few guys miss, and broke down the field.
When Brown is asked what his favorite catch from the 2025 season was, Samaje Perine answers the question from the next locker over. “The choice route against the Jets.” Last October, on a route from out of the backfield, Brown sharply cut vertically up the field, made the catch through plenty of contact from the linebacker and burst into the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown.
Brown has shown what he’s capable of as a pass catcher. The Bengals are building off that.
“The new stuff that we just put in is pretty exciting,” Brown said. “It’s going to allow us to do a lot of things.”
He also gets to move around the formation more because the Bengals are leaning further into two running back sets than they ever have during Zac Taylor’s tenure as the head coach. The Bengals dabbled with this down the stretch last season, but an injury to Samaje Perine prevented the Bengals from going more all-in.
“It didn’t click as much as it should have because Samaje went down for a bit,” Brown said.
The Bengals are using this time in training camp to work on their two running back personnel groupings. In two running back sets, Perine can line up in the backfield as the traditional running back and Brown can be the wild card who moves all over the field.
“I like that we’re adding two backs on the field,” Brown said. “Samaje is one of the best pass protecting backs in the league and I’m allowed to use my skill set as a receiver. I look forward to building on that. It’s a lot of fun.”
The ideas that the Bengals are developing around Brown are signs of how good he is entering his fourth season in the NFL.
Every year, Brown has found ways to improve. Since he was drafted in 2023, he has gone from a player who was bad at pass protection and struggled making routine catches out of the backfield into one of the most versatile, effective and dangerous running backs in the NFL.
“There are only a couple backs in this league that can do all the things that he does,” Burrow said. “He probably doesn’t get as many opportunities as he should because of the other guys (Chase and Higgins) that we have. But he just makes big plays when he touches the ball.
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Myles Murphy has been in Cashius Howell’s shoes. They were both high draft picks asked to make an immediate impact on a Bengals team with huge expectations. Murphy, who has grown into an impact player, really struggled with that as a rookie.
That experience gives Murphy a unique perspective on the standout camp that Howell is having.
“He’s able to tune everything out,” Murphy said. “He has a rush plan and just gets off the ball. That’s the biggest thing I try to preach to every young guy. As long as you’re going full speed, I can’t complain. Every single play, what you can expect to see from him is he’s going to get off the ball and get after it. He’s explosive and versatile with his rushes. He naturally has active hands. That’s really big as an edge player.”
Thursday was a really big day for Howell, the Bengals’ second-round pick. He got his most extensive reps of camp with the first-team defense. And on the day that he faced much tougher competition in matchups against the first-team tackles instead of the second-team tackles, he rose to the occasion and had his best day of camp.
Howell was the star of the practice on Thursday.
“It’s my mindset and the work I put in in the offseason,” Howell said. “I’m very intentional with what I do. It’s starting to translate over to the practice field.”
Before practice started, Zac Taylor discussed what Howell had done to earn more opportunities.
“He’s been really physical,” Taylor said. “He’s really embraced the physicality of playing defensive end. That’s a great starting point for a rookie, where he’s not afraid to take on blocks and really strain and make some plays in the run game. He’s got natural pass rush ability, which shows up on a daily basis. He can drive us crazy on offense because he’s really good at it.”
Seeing that physicality is a big deal from the skinniest (255 pound) defensive lineman that the Bengals have drafted during Taylor’s tenure as the Bengals’ head coach. The power was on display on Thursday as Howell pancaked Orlando Brown Jr.
“I show my speed most plays,” Howell said. “I want that power to be a good changeup that I have, actually show that I can do power and earn the respect of the tackles so I can play the way that I want to play. It’s my job to earn that respect and have them respect that power. I need to do what I can do to have people respect that.”
His best move so far has been his “ghost move,” which has gotten rave reviews from offensive tackle Cody Ford. Howell’s quick first step and dip underneath the arms of the tackle make him break through the line of scrimmage, well, like he’s a ghost.
“I’ve patented that,” Howell said. “I’ve gotten a lot of reps at it. I watch Von Miller and TJ Watt. It’s definitely one of my strong suits. I’ve got a good feel for the timing of the punches of the offensive tackles. I can time it up. I’m already bent by the time the tackle is trying to get his hands on me. Then, I can rip and reach on the quarterback.”
It’s not common to see rookie defensive linemen executing their strengths like this right away in camp. Murphy, Shemar Stewart and several other first-year pass rushers have had rocky starts.
That hasn’t been the case for Howell. He played five years of college football and has many more college reps than a typical rookie. Being an older draft prospect at 23 years old was a knock for him on draft day, but the bright side is that his game is more advanced than a typical rookie.
“Don’t complicate it,” Howell said. “A lot of guys come in and get complicated. They make it harder than what it actually is. You lock in on your keys, be instinctive and play your games.”
The schematic story of training camp for the Bengals’ defense is the new way that they’re using their defensive ends. The coaches are asking those players to be much more versatile, move around the line of scrimmage and drop in coverage when necessary.
“Coach Elko (at Texas A&M) did a good job getting me ready,” Howell said. “A lot of stuff in this specific defense, I did most of that stuff at A&M. I’ve gotten a taste for it, so I can come in and hit the ground running. I can definitely come in this year and make a positive impact. My role is a bit cloudy at this point. Whatever the coaches ask me to do, I’ve proven that I can go out there and play the highest level I know how to play.”
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One of the ripple effects of the Dexter Lawrence trade was what it would mean for TJ Slaton, who was the Bengals’ starting nose tackle in 2025.
After acquiring Lawrence, would the Bengals cut Slaton? Would they try to trade him? Would they make him a $7.5 million backup?
“Everybody loves to ask me about Dex,” Slaton says.
Slaton is here. His role might not quite be the same as it was last season, but he’s doing just fine.
“We’re working with each other to keep the team going in a positive direction,” Slaton said. “You can only control what you can control. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do on the field and off the field with your studying to make sure that you get on the field.”
Slaton, who was the Bengals biggest addition in free agency in 2025, had a disappointing debut season with the Bengals.
In 2024, Slaton’s final year with the Packers, his 45.5% run stop win rate on the interior led all defenders in the NFL according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. Slaton wasn’t nearly as productive or impactful in 2025 with the Bengals.
So far in camp, he looks much better than he did last season.
“TJ Slaton came back in great shape,” Al Golden said. “He has been a really big improvement for us inside.”
Slaton’s focus this season is being “more intentional trying to be on the details so I can play fast.”
“I need to get off the ball faster,” Slaton said. “I need to keep my pads lower. Overall, play awareness and recognition. I really watched film, and how I approached the game with my mindset, in the offseason I did a lot of learning. I tried to improve my lateral quickness.”
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One of the biggest risers in camp has been DJ Ivey. Dax Hill has been limited over the last few days, and Ivey has stepped into the starting lineup and started to make his case to be the Bengals CB4.
“DJ Ivey is as consistent as ever,” Golden said on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, Ivey had another nice pass breakup down the field.
“I feel like it’s going pretty good so far,” Ivey said. “I’m making the most of every opportunity I get. It’s been going well. I’m continuing using my length on the outside. That’s one of my great abilities.”
The fourth-year corner is a part of my favorite statistic on the entire team.
Ivey has played 117 career snaps on third or fourth down. The Bengals always use him as the tight end stopper, playing man-to-man coverage. Ivey has never allowed a first down catch to a tight end. He has done his job every single time.
Now, he has to show that the traits that make him elite against tight ends can translate into matchups against receivers.
Ivey has one feather in his cap in that area. When he got the opportunity in 2024, he shut down George Pickens during the final week of the season.
Ivey looks like a lock to make the team because of his value against tight ends and on special teams. He’s competing with Tacario Davis to be CB4.
Davis is also making plays, including a deep ball to Tee Higgins that he stopped on Thursday. He also has to be more consistent, which is typical for any rookie figuring things out.
“(Davis is) an awesome kid,” Ivey said. “Great draft pick. He has been doing good things. Keeps improving.”
Right now, Ivey is the player having the better camp between the two of them and has the edge in the position battle.
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Rookie wide receiver Colbie Young, who made one of the catches of camp on Thursday as he reeled in a seam ball from Joe Burrow in very tight coverage, has one of the hardest jobs in all of Bengals training camp. He’s surrounded by an incredibly rare amount of continuity. Basically everybody is returning except for Young, two backup offensive linemen and the assistant wide receivers coach.
“For a rookie right now, you have to be swimming to an extent,” Zac Taylor said. “In some cases, you have seven years of carryover for some of our players on offense. We want to make sure we are challenging them. So you can imagine when a rookie is getting challenged when we are putting in all the stuff Tee and Ja’Marr have heard six or seven times over the years and now you got Colbie in there. There is a lot of detailed stuff he is continuing to improve. We’ll get a lot of reps. I’ve been pleased with his playmaking.”
The contested catches have been a great start. They’re his calling card.
“I think he’s made some real splash plays,” Taylor said. “We brought him in here, No. 1, to catch the ball and make plays in the pass game. So to see him do that is good. And now there is all the other details that he’ll continue to improve on.”
Wide receiver No. 3 is a funny role in the Bengals’ offense. Ninety percent of the time, you’re the dirty work guy who literally takes up space, occupies defenders, blocks and sets up chances for Chase, Higgins and Brown to make plays. But every now and then, you’re called on to win your one-on-one matchup in a huge spot and make a huge play down the field. It’s a critical role. The Bengals would have won the 2022 AFC title game if they had a better No. 3 wide receiver.
“I want to be a contributor to this offense and be as explosive as possible,” Young said. “I’ve shown on film that I can do it in college. I want to do it in the NFL. I’m the luckiest receiver in the draft to be in such a developed room. They have very high football IQ. Having those guys around me who I can ask questions of and watch film on, it makes it extremely easy for me.”
To make the splash plays that he’s making, it helps that he’s back to full-speed following an injury that defined his final year of college football.
Six weeks into last season at Georgia, Young broke his leg. He could have shut it down, declared his season over and started focusing on draft prep.
“I easily could have moved on to the next chapter and started preparing for the draft,” Young said. “There was no doubt in my mind I wanted to give it one more shot with my guys.”
After breaking his leg on October 18, he was back on the field on Jan. 1 for Georgia’s bowl game.
“I battled it out,” Young said. “The team played really hard and got us all the way to the playoffs. I ended up recovering very fast to come back around three weeks earlier and played against the team I broke my leg against. Credit to my teammates. I know how hard practice can be at Georgia. They were out there through it all. The least I can do is in the training room, give it my best. I showed I care about the team a lot and how much I love this game.”
Young said that as he made his comeback, he dealt with the “mental block” of being confident in his ability to move the way that he did before the injury. He has made it past that, which is very obvious when you see his leaping catches through contact in training camp.
“It’s exciting,” Young said. “They didn’t bring me in here to just sit around. We’re going to compete every day and get better as a team every day. I need to know the playbook in and out at every receiver position.”
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Andrei Iosivas ran the prettiest route of the day on Thursday. During a one-on-one rep against star corner DJ Turner, Iosivas blew past him and put himself in position to catch the deep ball. Iosivas dropped it. Then, on the final 11 on 11 play of practice, Iosivas had another crushing stone cold drop.
He had big expectations entering the 2025 season, but drops on quick game throws kept him from hitting his stride. Those drops really weighed on him then. He knows that he can’t be so hard on himself this season.
“I’m just doing me, having fun and playing ball,” Iosivas said. “If the plays come, they come. Have fun. Play ball. Stop taking everything so seriously. It’s more mental than physical because I know I have all the physical traits. If you live your life the way you should, things will happen the way they should.”
He made some fantastic plays last season, including a TD reception on the play of the season during the Bengals’ road win over Baltimore. He was a consistent target down the field. It was the bang-bang plays that he struggled finishing.
“Some of the drops were magnified,” Iosivas said. “It is what it is. I let the fans get in my head with that stuff, but I didn’t have a bad year at all. And I’m better this year.”
Ultimately, drops are the easiest way for a Bengals’ receiver to play himself off the field. It happened to Mike Thomas in 2022. Based on what I’ve learned about the Bengals’ coaching staff, as I study wide receivers in the draft every year, I ignore the guys who had lots of drops in college. The Bengals typically don’t give receivers like that much of an opportunity.
Iosivas has enough of a track record to get some benefit of the doubt, but there’s a competition for the No. 3 wide receiver spot.
Even if Iosivas wins that battle over Young and Mitchell Tinsley, his role will likely look different in 2026. One telling sign is the fact that for the first time in a couple of years, Iosivas is back in on special teams drills instead of working with Chase and Higgins on the sideline during that portion of practice.
“I’m always going to go where they need me,” Iosivas said. “It lets me be around some of the other guys. I don’t mind it.”
Ideally, Erick All Jr. stays healthy and becomes a focal point like he was in 2024. The Bengals are using more two running back sets, which takes a spot on the field away from a receiver. The Bengals used to live in 11 personnel as much as any team in the league. Now, they’re mixing and matching personnel more than ever.
What Iosivas has working for him is his versatility as well as his knowledge of the offense. Burrow can make a check at the line of scrimmage, shift Chase into the slot or do whatever is necessary because Iosivas has the tools and the experience to fill in the gaps.
“I can block really well, too,” Iosivas said. “You never have to take me off the field, you can rely on me, and I can win.”
He feels faster than he was last year. Maybe, he jokes, he’s getting an extra boost from the new neon cleats that he’s wearing that match with Chase Brown’s.
Iosivas has shown that he can be a solid starting receiver in the league. He just needs to make more of the routine plays.
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While Howell is a rookie who wasn’t around for last year’s struggles on defense, he revealed the specific way that the defensive line room is using the 2025 season as motivation.
“We’re watching film from last year and comparing it to this year,” Howell said. “It’s night and day. We’re taking pride in having us being the leaders of the defense. If you win the line of scrimmage, you win the game. Last year, we’d let A,B,C and D happen. This year, we’re running to the ball, ripping off blocks, getting the edge, fitting the runs right. We’re playing good, technical, sound ball.”
\*\*\*Charlie Jones bought a hyperbaric chamber.
The big question for the fourth-year receiver/returner is his availability. He missed six games in 2023, nine games in 2024 and the final three games of the 2025 season. When Jones was out, Ke’Shawn Williams popped as a returner. Now, they’re competing for that role.
“Charlie has been productive when he has been on the field,” special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons said. “We need him to stay on the field longer.”
Jones suffered a season-ending high ankle sprain last December.
“It took me into the summer until I really felt 100%,” Jones said. “I’m making sure my ankle is good and taking care of it. When things come up early, get in the cold tub and take care of it.”
The Bengals have a hyperbaric chamber (oxygen therapy that promotes healing by getting more oxygen into your tissues) in the facility. But Jones says, “You’ve got to sit in it for a while to get the full effects.”
He felt like he needed one at home. Jones found a guy (he didn’t share the name but said that it wasn’t someone in the NFL) selling one.
They’re not cheap, but Jones says, “It pays off in the end.”
He plans to sleep in it a few times a week.
“I need every edge I can get,” Jones said. “The guys that have it say it’s great. If it works, it works. If it’s all in your head, I’m here for that too. You can’t make plays if you’re not on the field.”
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