The Cincinnati Bengals have a budding star in their backfield.
Chase Brown has turned heads in training camp, and head coach Zac Taylor recently predicted a breakout season for the running back.
“I think Chase Brown continues to have a huge training camp. His arrow has just always been up. I think Chase is a guy who is never satisfied with what he’s doing and continues to elevate his role on the team. I think I can name about 15 players that fit that category, but I think Chase is a fun one. Hopefully, he’s slept on a little bit. That’ll be great for us,” Taylor said on “Up & Adams.”
Breakout year for Chase Brown!
Coach Zac Taylor here with some high praise and alllll his teammates I talked to say the same.
— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) August 5, 2025
Brown entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and got some work as Joe Mixon’s backup in his rookie campaign.
Then, the Bengals had him split carries with Zack Moss in his second season, but with Moss’ neck injury and his own efficient play, Brown established himself as the No. 1 ball carrier.
The Bengals moved on from offensive line coach and running game coordinator Frank Pollack, and Brown is now expected to be a featured part of an offense that relied heavily on quarterback Joe Burrow’s arm.
Despite the negative game script and Burrow’s heavy usage, Brown fell 10 shy of 1,000 rushing yards, adding 360 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns (seven rushing) last season.
The Bengals know they have no margin for error this time around, and Taylor could be coaching for his job from the start of the season.
Everybody knows what Burrow is capable of as a perennial NFL MVP candidate, but they could also benefit from establishing the run and controlling the tempo of the game to give their struggling defense a helping hand.
Brown is ready to embrace a bigger role, and he’s looking forward to proving that he’s one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL.
