The Cincinnati Bengals are more known for their passing game than anything else, and it may very well be the most lethal aerial attack in the NFL.
With Joe Burrow throwing the football and Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins catching it, you're going to have a hard time finding a more dangerous unit.
But with all of the constant hoopla surrounding Burrow and the receivers, we may have forgotten about one of the Bengals' most important weapons: running back Chase Brown.
Brown broke out with 990 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground during his second season in 2024, also hauling in 54 receptions for 360 yards and four scores. Yes, his 4.3 yards per carry was rather modest, if not pedestrian, but that may have had more to do with Cincinnati's horrid offensive line than anything else.
Recently, Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher dubbed Brown a top-10 halfback in the league, and Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated is apparently having a hard time disagreeing with that notion.
"And based on what I heard when I went through there, I'd believe him," Breer wrote. "Brown rounded out his skill set with a lot of work this offseason in the passing game, and after being part of a committee last year, there's little question whom the Bengals regard as their lead dog at the position. Brown's going to get the ball a lot, and will be running into a lot of light boxes geared to stop Joe Burrow and Cincinnati's high-octane aerial attack."
The Bengals took Brown in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He barely played during his rookie campaign, but became Cincinnati's featured back following the trade of Joe Mixon last year.
Brown was also terrific at Illinois, racking up 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns in his final season with the Fighting Illini in 2023.
We'll see if the 25-year-old can take yet another step this fall.
Related Articles
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.