The Bengals Should Push Chase Brown Down The Gio Bernard Path
Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
When the Bengals lost Joe Mixon, it felt like a piece of the Bengals’ Super Bowl puzzle was unceremoniously thrown in the trash. And that was before he found success with the Houston Texans, averaging over 100 yards from scrimmage per game. It feels even worse now.
Since that split, the Bengals tried to implement a Zack Moss/Chase Brown tandem, which, in theory, was not a bad idea. Moss has shown in years past that he’s capable of being an early down back, and Brown is a shifty, agile back who’s very good at catching passes, making him an ideal change-of-pace candidate.
In fact, Brown reminds me a lot of a former Bengal who played that exact role for more than half a decade in the Queen City. Re-live this sick run and tell me that doesn’t look like Chase Brown.
Giovani Bernard's run against the Miami Dolphins in 2013 pic.twitter.com/o3wW6CKQyc
— Russell Clay (@RussellJClay) May 12, 2020
But, it’s not Brown. It’s Giovani Bernard, who the Bengals drafted in the early second round of the 2013 Draft. “The single most outstanding part of Bernard’s game might be his receiving ability out of the backfield,” read a scouting report from Sigmund Bloom of Bleacher Report. “He has very good hands and can adjust to passes that aren’t accurate.”
Bernard came as advertised as a perfect third-down back. Cincinnati never had Bernard in the prime roles, always taking a backseat in rushing attempts to pure runners like BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Jeremy Hill (yeah, yeah, I know), and Mixon. But as a result, Gio thrived. During his eight-year tenure with the Bengals, he averaged 4.0 yards per carry on the ground and 43 receptions per season.
If Cincinnati finds an early-down back, then Brown will be perfect for the Bernard role. He has a mild case of De’Von Achane Syndrome, as he’s showing to be much more effective as a pass catcher than as a pure running back. In the NFL this season, only Achane (6) and Rachaad White (4) have more receiving touchdowns than Brown (3). His most recent receiving touchdown, a 19-yard scamper in which he stayed in bounds by a single blade of grass, showed off that lateral agility and explosiveness as a receiver out of the backfield, Watch it again, and tell me that doesn’t look like Gio Bernard.
This was reviewed and it's now a @Bengals TD for Chase Brown!
📺: #CINvsDAL on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus & ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/RsIIJ9EumD— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2024
None of this is to say that Brown isn’t effective as a runner. Since Week 3, he’s averaged 63 yards on 16 carries per game, a respectable 4.2 average. That might be more impressive, considering that PFF’s 70.1 run-blocking grade for the Bengals’ offensive line is ranked 27th in the NFL. But it doesn’t matter if the blocking is good when Brown can make almost anyone miss in the open field, especially as a pass-catcher.
Now the Bengals are riding Brown harder than ever since Moss’ season ended. From Week 9 onward, only Alvin Kamara (25.2), Saquon Barkley (24.7), and Bijan Robinson (24.2) have more than the 23.2 touches per game Brown is getting. “I like for Chase to touch the ball as much as possible,” Zac Taylor said. “He’s got the potential to be explosive on almost every play.”
It’s easy to understand why Brown is currently the bell cow. Again, Moss is out, Khalil Herbert has played an extremely limited role since arriving from the Chicago Bears, and Brown is showing he can handle it for a team that is still (technically) fighting for their playoff lives. You ride the hot hand, especially when said hot hand is one of the few things that Joe Burrow seems happy with in this awful, lost season.
“I think Chase is really running as a top back,” Burrow told the media. “He’s doing unbelievable stuff in both the run game and the pass game. His role is going to continue to evolve. We’re going to continue to keep getting him the ball more in a lot of different ways.”
Brown has demonstrated his home-run time and time again; however, he plays a position where players age quickly. The phrase “He’s still got it!” is frequently used to describe running backs who are in their late 20s. As a 32-year-old man still clinging to his youth, I find that rather insulting.
Maybe Bernard could have shouldered a heavier load as a Bengal. Instead, he got to extend his career in Cincinnati to eight years, no doubt in part due to always having an early-down back to rack up those miles. The Bengals would be wise to do the same with Brown and find a pure runner to be the Yin to Brown’s Yang.
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