Chase Brown Injury Creates Uncertainty In RB Room
Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) eyes the end zone after catching a pass in the second quarter of the NFL Week 6 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Seattle Seahawks at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023.
Coming off of the bye, Zac Taylor said he was hoping to get rookie Chase Brown more game action, but an injury has put those plans on hold.
Chase Brown pulled his hamstring in practice yesterday, according to Zac Taylor.
He’s out this week.
Terrible timing. Said Brown was really practicing well.
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) October 27, 2023
He has now been placed on IR.
Through week 7, the Bengals have both the fewest rushing attempts and rushing yards of any team in the NFL. The promising rookie’s pulled hamstring is an unfortunate development for a team that was looking to change the narrative on not only their lack of rushing production, but on their offense as a whole.
While he’s still a promising player, his production as a player in 2023 has been limited to a 2-yard rush against Baltimore, a 4 yard rush against Seattle, and one reception in each of the last three games.
Brown was selected with a fifth round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and was expected to take the spot of Samaje Perine, who departed for Denver. With Brown being sent to the IR, for the time being, the only Bengals running backs are Joe Mixon, Trayveon Williams, and Chris Evans.
In his 2022 season at Illinois, Brown went off for 1643 rushing yards and ten rushing touchdowns, in addition to 270 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. His explosive athleticism, which raised eyebrows at the combine, and skill set in the passing game as a receiver and a blocker make him perfect as both a third down back and a complement to veteran Joe Mixon.
Chase Brown is still the most underrated running back in this draft class 🏃♂️💨pic.twitter.com/NrW8CR8BXk
— Jack Caporuscio (@Caporuscio_Jack) March 5, 2023
There certainly is no reason to panic, as the Bengals still have a modest .500 record. However, there needs to be a sense of urgency among the team. They currently find themselves at the bottom of the standings in the AFC North, and have the NFL’s toughest schedule for the remainder of the year. A road matchup against the 49ers, who have lost two straight after cruising to five straight wins to start the year, is their first game after the bye.
Without Brown for at least the next four games, the in-house options are limited. The Bengals, who are notoriously inactive at the trade deadline, could go out and acquire a running back via a trade before the 4pm deadline on Halloween. Veteran running backs are a dime a dozen, and a good value running back like Antonio Gibson, Matt Breida, or even old pal Samaje Perine wouldn’t require much in return.
They could stick with who they have on the current squad and wait until he comes back in four games.
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