We’re 61 days away from the Cincinnati Bengals’ preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles. Leading up to that game, we’ll be going over the entirety of the Bengals’ 90-man roster. Check out previous player profiles here.

Up next in the series is the last player Cincy drafted in last year’s draft.

Tahj Brooks Player Profile

Age: 24
Year: 2nd
Position: Running back
College: Texas Tech
Jersey Number: 25

Tahj Brooks was selected with the No. 193 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Bengals. Originally from Texas Tech, Brooks spent five years with the program and played in 56 games. He ended up as the Red Raiders’ all-time leader in rushing attempts (879), rushing yards (4557) and 100-yard rushing games (23). Bengals running backs coach Justin Hill originally recruited Brooks to play for him at Tulsa before being hired by Cincinnati in 2021.

The Bengals drafted Brooks to be the immediate backup behind starter Chase Brown, and third-down back Samaje Perine. He appeared in 16 games (226 total snaps) during his rookie season last year, rushing for 45 yards on 16 attempts. He only took 47 snaps on offense, while the other 179 were on special teams.

Contract details

Brooks is entering the second year of a four-year, $4,430,856 contract with Cincinnati. His base salary of $1,005,000 is the amount of cash he will earn this year. When adding on the prorated $57,714 from his $230,856 signing bonus, his salary cap figure for 2026 is $1,062,714.

Roster outlook

It will be interesting to see if Brooks gets more playing time in the Bengals’ offense this season. He’s the only long-term piece of the RB room right now with Brown and Perine set to play on expiring deals. Perhaps that changes before the season begins, but if not, getting Brooks on the field more often this year should be a priority.

Cincinnati didn’t make any notable additions to really challenge Brooks for a roster spot. RB3 is his to lose, and while he may not ascend over Perine this year, his role should grow at least a little bit.

Roster odds: 100%