CINCINNATI — For all the money the Cincinnati Bengals have spent on quarterback Joe Burrow and the passing attack, it can be easy to overlook running back Chase Brown.<\/p>\n
But Burrow can\u2019t be lumped into that group. At the beginning of training camp, Burrow offered a glimpse into how Brown\u2019s usage might look in Cincinnati\u2019s revamped 2026 offense. Throughout training camp, Cincinnati has looked at tweaking its scheme, featuring more reps with Burrow lined up under center.<\/p>\n
No matter how it\u2019s sliced, expect Brown to play a major role in how the Bengals operate.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we\u2019re going to get the ball in (wide receiver Ja\u2019Marr Chase)\u2019s hands as many times as we can,\u201d Burrow said in late July. \u201cBut I think a close second is Chase Brown just because of how explosive he is and the things he can do with the ball in his hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last season, Brown was ninth among all running backs with 1,456 scrimmage yards. Of that total, Brown ranked sixth in his position with 437 receiving yards.<\/p>\n
Starting in 2024, Brown has been the team\u2019s featured running back. And over time, he has settled into the position and been a featured player in a high-powered offense that features Burrow, Chase and wide receiver Tee Higgins.<\/p>\n
Burrow praised Brown\u2019s versatility in not just what he did with the ball but also how he helps the offense in pass protection.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s very few backs in this league that you can say that about,\u201d Burrow said. \u201cAnd when you have a guy like that, you don\u2019t have to take him off the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can put him in on so many different packages. You can build different packages for him in different places on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
That versatility is also a testament to his growth as well. Bengals assistant Justin Hill, who is in his sixth season coaching the team\u2019s running backs, said Brown has steadily improved each year since the Bengals took him in the fifth round of the 2023 draft.<\/p>\n
The more experienced and skilled he has become, the more Cincinnati has tried to manufacture ways to take advantage of Brown\u2019s skillset.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to try to find ways to just move him around and showcase what he can do,\u201d Hill told ESPN in August. \u201cNot only in the backfield, under center, in the gun, but also (receiving out of the backfield) as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just how much the Bengals\u2019 offense will change with going under center has been a major topic of conversation. Cincinnati has been one of the most shotgun-heavy teams in recent years. Last season, the Bengals ranked second in that category at 81.4%, per ESPN Research.<\/p>\n
But that dwindled over the year as the Bengals tried to find more balance, even after Burrow returned for the final six games following a turf toe injury. That pursuit extended into this offseason.<\/p>\n
And after a full training camp and preseason, that experimentation has proven to be successful. Earlier this week, Bengals coach Zac Taylor said he feels good about where the team is at schematically and likes the inventory available to him as a playcaller.<\/p>\n
Cincinnati will still lean on the things that have been successful over the years. But going under center with Brown and the running backs carrying the workload could be a valuable wrinkle at various points this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going to have situations throughout the season where you\u2019re going to be in some cold weather games or maybe just things aren\u2019t clicking in the pass game,\u201d said Bengals assistant James Casey, the team\u2019s run game coordinator. \u201cYou have got to be able to run the ball to win some games and close some games out.\u201d<\/p>\n
That style of offense is also more conducive to explosive rushing plays, which is something the Bengals have lacked over the years. And that\u2019s another area where Brown can be effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he can get that little crease, he\u2019s got the speed and he\u2019s strong enough to be able to get through it,\u201d Casey said. \u201cAnd he\u2019s not timid. He\u2019s going to be able to hit it.\u201d<\/p>\n
This season is shaping up to be a big year for Brown. He\u2019s entering the final year of his rookie contract after the offseason failed to materialize an extension. Brown is among many Bengals who are looking to cash in on their second NFL contracts.<\/p>\n
But on the cusp of the season, Brown felt good about where things stand both for himself and the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the best training camps I\u2019ve been a part of, not only for myself but as a team,\u201d Brown said. \u201cJust seeing the way that everybody is operating, it\u2019s really encouraging.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited about what we\u2019re going to do this year and I feel like we\u2019re capable of a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CINCINNATI — For all the money the Cincinnati Bengals have spent on quarterback Joe Burrow and the passing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":884297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,48,83841,83840,514,82],"class_list":["post-884296","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-chase-brown-sports-football-player-player-statscom-1123379","tag-cincinnati-bengals-sports-football-team-team-statscom-327","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=884296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/884296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/884297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=884296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=884296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=884296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}