The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a year where, despite their passing offense wheeling and dealing on a weekly basis, the rushing offense left a lot to be desired. The Bengals finished third to last in rushing yards in 2024 and when keeping that in mind, it might be easy to write Chase Brown off as the Bengals’ running back of the future.

Even with that mindset, it’s hard to ignore the production Brown had last year even in a disappointing season for Cincinnati’s rushing attack. Brown rushed for 990 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games and 10 starts but what could be holding him back is that he, at least according to Gennaro Filice of NFL.com, isn’t built to be a workhorse. Filice also thinks that sixth-round rookie Tahj Brooks could be a threat to Brown in the running back room.

“Chase Brown enjoyed a nice sophomore campaign with the Bengals, falling just shy of 1,000 yards rushing, but the speedy playmaker isn’t built to be a workhorse. Brooks was a workhorse at Texas Tech, setting the school records in career rushes and rushing yards while eclipsing 1,500 yards in each of the past two seasons, but he feels like more of a committee hammer in an NFL backfield. It’s a fit.”

NFL writer says Bengals may have struck gold with Tahj Brooks

As of this writing, the Bengals’ depth at running back consists of Brown as the starter, Zack Moss, Samaje Perine, Brooks, Kendall Milton, Gary Brightwell, and Quali Conley. Moss was brought in last offseason to help bolster the rushing attack but only rushed for 242 yards and two scores. Perine is a familiar face who spent a few years away from Cincinnati but is back and can hopefully recapture some of the magic he previously had with the Bengals.

As for Brooks, he was indeed a work horse during his final two seasons at Texas Tech, rushing for over 1,500 yards both years and scoring double-digit touchdowns for the Red Raiders. He’s very much the kind of running back who could surge up the depth chart with a good training camp and preseason.

While Brown is the favorite to be the starter right now, he’s going to have to work hard not just this summer but during the season as well, to hold onto that job. If Brooks continues to show workhorse mentality in the pros, that won’t bode well for Brown’s job security as the starter.