Bengals Depth Chart Preview: Reunion in the running back room brings stability behind Chase Brown
Establishing the run? In 2025 with an elite quarterback? Yes indeed. The Cincinnati Bengals need to do a better job with their run game this season if a more complete and reliable offense is the goal. Progress made late last season brings confidence in a fully fleshed out plan of attack led by the guy who should've […]
Establishing the run? In 2025 with an elite quarterback? Yes indeed.
The Cincinnati Bengals need to do a better job with their run game this season if a more complete and reliable offense is the goal. Progress made late last season brings confidence in a fully fleshed out plan of attack led by the guy who should've started all of last year instead of taking over after a month.
The next installment of our Bengals depth chart preview series goes into the backfield, where a revitalization of depth has been discovered this offseason.
Bengals Running Back Depth Chart
- Chase Brown
- Samaje Perine
- Zack Moss
- Tahj Brooks
- Kendall Milton
- Gary Brightwell
- Quali Conley
The starter: Chase Brown. The perfect archetype of running back to put next to Joe Burrow. Brown is shifty and explosive in the run and pass game while also having the power to pass protect when needed, and grind out tough yardage up the gut and at the goal line. He emerged as the lead back in the middle of 2024 and fell just short of 1,000 yards on the ground, but his receiving production headlined by 54 receptions more than made up for that. He's an all-around weapon who's now the clear No. 1 option.
First off the bench: Samaje Perine. Our first real projection here feels rather safe as Perine was the No. 2 back the last time he was a Bengal in 2022. His reliability as a receiver in the flat and pass-protector made him extremely valuable on money downs. He knows exactly what to do two years later and already has trust with Burrow and the staff, which is mostly the same since he left. There's a reason why he's back here now.
The rest: Moss may have a stronger argument for second behind Brown if he wasn't coming off a season-ending injury, and if his production was simply better in the eight games he played in. He'll first have to fend off Brooks, the team's sixth-round pick who had a good chance of being drafted earlier if it wasn't for such a stacked class of ballcarriers. Milton and Brightwell were mostly on the practice squad last year, and that's what Conley should be hoping for as the UDFA rookie of the group.
Who will make the 53-man roster: Brown, Perine, Brooks, and Moss. The first three are sturdy locks to make the team, and Moss taking a pay cut to stick around helps his chances even if Brooks ascends over him on the depth chart during the preseason. Having four capable backs on the roster is a newfound luxury for the team, and I think they'll want to capitalize on that.
Practice squad prediction: Milton. He made the squad last year after being cut by the Philadelphia Eagles. Conley being a rookie gives him a strong chance here as well, but five total backs in the building is likely the limit.
Previous Position Depth Chart Previews
- (7/6) Quarterback
‘A bowling ball with butcher blades all around him’ — Former coach of Bengals’ draft pick shares insight on Cincy’s newest player
“I don’t think he could have gone to better team.”
