Why Chase Brown Could be the Bengals’ Most Improved in 2024
Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals have Super Bowl aspirations in 2024, and trading away a star running back in Joe Mixon could be a massive risk. Mixon stood out during his 97 games in the Orange and Black, rushing for 6,412 yards and 49 touchdowns. Losing a player like Mixon would set back a lot of offenses, but the Bengals have a budding star waiting in the wings in Chase Brown.
Brown was selected in the 5th round in the 2023 Draft out of Illinois after being a standout in Champaign. In 2022, Brown rushed 328 times for the Fighting Illini for 1,643 yards and ten touchdowns. He also caught 27 passes for 240 yards and three touchdowns.
As a rookie, Brown didn’t get a ton of touches with the Bengals because he was sitting behind Mixon. Brown had just 14 rushing attempts and was used more often as a pass catcher. On 15 targets, Brown caught 14 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. Brown was hitting his stride as a rookie before he suffered a hamstring injury in October that placed him on injured reserve. He returned in late November, and his best game of the year came against the Jacksonville Jaguars on December 4th when he rushed nine times for 61 yards. Against the Indianapolis Colts in the next game, he caught three passes for 80 yards and a touchdown.
Brown was a standout running the ball at Illinois, but as his rookie year usage might suggest, Zac Taylor’s comments make it clear that the team is most excited about his pass-catching ability. Taylor said that after the season, they suggested that Brown needed to improve as a receiver. Back at minicamp, it’s clear Brown took the advice to heart.
“That’s exciting to see a guy that you can just make a small comment to and four months later it comes back and you can tell he’s really emphasized it,” Taylor said. “I think that’s everything we knew about Chase. That’s everything we thought we had with Chase. A guy that’s going to continue to grow and understand what that role entails as a running back in this league and the more downs you can put yourself on the field, the better. And he’s really worked hard to do that. It’s noticeable and that’s a real positive.”
The running game is important to keep defenses honest and open up more passing opportunities for superstar Joe Burrow, and Chase should get plenty of opportunities between the tackles. However, Brown’s ability to catch the ball will be his bread and butter and the ticket to a possible breakout season.
The Bengals offense is expected to have a little more razzle dazzle to it in 2024, and Brown catching the ball out of the backfield will help that. Burrow already has Ja’marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and rookie Jermaine Burton, who the team believes could be their next superstar. Those three guys will be a nightmare to cover, and adding Brown to the mix as another threat catching the football will be a major problem. Opposing defenses will be forced to make a nearly impossible decision on who they want to stop. The Bengals offense was already scary, and it will only become more of a nightmare with Brown getting more snaps.
After last year ended, Brown made clear he would try to work on his pass protection, which will allow him to get more snaps in 2024. If he can show the ability to pick up a blitzing linebacker, it will translate to more opportunities that he can convert into production. “I just want to become more fluid, work on my hands, work on my pass protection,” Brown explained. “Just be a better all-around player coming back, and I feel confident that I accomplished all that this offseason.”
The Bengals also have Zack Moss, who they brought in the offseason, and the two appear to have the makings of a formidable one-two punch out of the backfield. There hasn’t been a clear indication from the Bengals about what percentage of snaps each player will get, but it appears that both should get plenty of run in 2024. Brown showed some flashes in 2023 of the impact he can have in Cincinnati. In 2024, he’s got a chance to take the opportunity he has in front of him, and with the space the receivers should make for him, has a chance to become a household name across the league by the end of the season. The rest of the league should buckle up; the Bengals have found themselves another weapon.
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