Chase Brown took his development from last season and returned to WR coach Drew Lieberman this offseason with a renewed focus on route running, trying to elevate on-script to match his off-script magic.

The Bengals responded accordingly. OTAs and training camp were filled with splitting Brown outside and testing matchups against safeties and linebackers. This grew far beyond the typical choice routes coming out of the backfield. This was true receiver usage.

“Splitting out as a receiver and having a real understanding of what our receivers go through and what Joe is going to see — he’s become really valuable in that way,” HC Zac Taylor said.

The story mentioned Bengals LB Logan Wilson said Brown is trying to separate himself in the passing and he's done a lot of work to get better at route running. Wilson went on to call him a, "true receiving threat wherever he is at on the field at all times.” The story said Brown's improvement in the passing game allowed the Bengals to expand their playbook for this season. The story added that extrapolating his numbers from the second half of last season over a full year would put him well over 1,000 yards rushing and 500 receiving, and only two backs have accomplished both in a season since 2020: Jahmyr Gibbs and Christian McCaffrey. Brown looks to be a RB to target in the late second or early third round of fantasy drafts if he's there.

It's no secret the Bengals' offense is geared around Burrow and the passing attack. From the way they play to their respective skill sets, the top three running backs the Bengals have in their offense this year complement that approach.

That's why Cincinnati's running backs always get the same message from their position coach before they break for the summer.

"Obviously we're going to run the ball when we can, but we're going to throw the ball and win games," Bengals assistant coach Justin Hill told ESPN. "And if you can't protect and if you're not a viable option in the pass game, you're going to have a hard time being successful in this offense as a running back."

Related players: Chase Brown, Tahj Brooks, Samaje Perine

The story said Brown is cemented as the featured back. Cincinnati also swapped out Zack Moss for rookie Brooks, a sixth-round pick out of Texas Tech, and also brought back veteran Samaje Perine, who was valued for his receiving skills and pass protection during the team's deep playoff runs in 2021 and 2022. The story added Brown has really worked on his pass catching skills and he's likely to have a big role in the passing game. With Moss out of the picture, it's easy to see how the rookie Brooks can be the team's RB2 behind Brown so Brown owners may want to really pay attention to this battle if you're looking to handcuff Brown.

Going into the 2025 season, the Cincinnati Bengals already have one of the most loaded offenses in the NFL, so adding another weapon seems almost unfair at this point, but the team might just have an emerging weapon in Tahj Brooks, a player they found near the bottom of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Brooks was taken in the sixth round with the 193rd overall pick.

Related players: Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, Gary Brightwell

Brooks fell to the bottom of the draft despite a college career at Texas Tech that saw him rush for 4,560 yards, which ranks as the fourth-most in Big 12 history, the story said. The only players ahead of him on the all-time list are three NFL names you might recognize: Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams and Darren Sproles, according to the story. Brooks has been drawing high praise at camp and the team recently released Zack Moss, so Brooks looks to solidly be the RB2 on a high-powered Bengal offense.

Bengals released veteran RB Zack Moss, who played in eight games with six starts for Cincinnati last season. Moss had 74 rushing attempts for 242 yards and two TDs last season.

Related Players: Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks

This had been hinted at by beat writers throughout summer, as the team is prepared to lock Brown in for another big workload, with Perine serving as a rotational thrid-down back. Brooks can still potentially get work, but it's not likely to be enough for redraft consideration.

Bengals Offensive Coordinator Dan Pitcher said that RB Chase Brown will be one of the focal points of the Bengals offense this year.

Related players: Chase Brown, Zack Moss, Samaje Perine

It's an exciting through for those who own or will own Brown this season, especially considering how high-powered the offense can be, and, with a defense that struggled to stop anyone last season. Brown finished as the fantasy RB11 overall and RB16 on a per-game basis. He took over the backfield after Moss went down and made the most of his opportunity, ranking as the RB6 from Week 9 to Week 17. He caught 54 passes—5th among running backs—and played a key role in one of the league’s best offenses. The Bengals brought Moss back and added Perine, who could siphon off passing-down work and limit Brown’s weekly floor. Still, Brown looks like the favorite to lead this backfield in touches and carries high-end RB2 value in a high-scoring offense. If he holds onto the passing-game role, there’s room for more. He could be great value with his current ADP of the early-to-mid third round.

Head coach Zac Taylor said they want to find ways to manage running back Chase Brown's workload.

Related players: Khalil Herbert, Trayveon Williams, Kendall Milton

Taylor said they want Brown to touch the ball as much as possible, but added the Bengals need another back to get work as well. Coming off the bye week, that back should likely be Herbert, who the Bengals got in a trade from the Bears before the deadline. When we last saw the Bengals in Week 11, in a loss to the Chargers, Brown ran 22 times for 86 yards and added five catches for 57 yards. Herbert didn't have a touch in the game and played on about 5% of the snaps.

Khalil Herbert will make his Bengals debut on Thursday night against the Ravens, league sources confirmed.

How big of a role could Herbert play? He'll be a compliment to Chase Brown on offense. He could see a few carries and also has experience as a kick returner. Look for him to have a role on special teams too.

Related Players: Trayveon Williams

So it sounds like Herbert will work in as a short-yardage back, leaving a majority of the workload to Brown in Game 1. Herbert doesn't need to be started in Week 10 but odds are good that he'll be in fantasy consideration moving forward. Brown should be locked into lineups in this divisional rivalry.

Tight end Erick All and running back Zack Moss have been placed on injured reserve. All will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and Moss is expected to miss extended time with a neck injury.

Related players: Chase Brown, Khalil Herbert, Trayveon Williams

With Moss out, the Bengals made a move for Herbert who should take over as the team's RB2 behind Brown and give the team some depth with Williams.

Running back Khalil Herbert is on to Cincinnati.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the Bengals have agreed to a trade with the Bears that will add Herbert to their backfield for the rest of the season. A 2025 seventh-round pick will go back to the Bears as compensation.

Related players: Chase Brown, Zack Moss, Trayveon Williams, D'Andre Swift, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer

Moss is dealing with a neck injury and there is no timetable for his return, we reported on Monday. So the Bengals needed help at the position. Herbert should slide in as the team's RB2 behind Brown, who is the clear RB1. Meanwhile in Chicago, Johnson becomes an interesting fantasy addition as the team's clear RB2 behind Swift. Swift started slow this season, but has come on as of late, however, Johnson could see his value climb and is probably worth adding off the wire if you have the room.

And Zac Taylor also said RB Zack Moss is out indefinitely due to his neck injury.

Related players: Chase Brown, Trayveon Williams

With Moss out, Brown looks to be the team's RB1 going forward, and has been backing it up with RB1 numbers as well. Look for the team to ride Brown, but Williams now enters the picture as the team's RB2.