As expected, the Cincinnati Bengals have plotted out a committee at running back by adding free agent Zack Moss to the running back room alongside Chase Brown.
Moss, who came over via free agency from the Colts as the team did the surprise Joe Mixon trade with the Texans, is a veteran who looks like the lead back.
But 2023 fifth-rounder Brown is right there, too, in the plans, especially when coaches get in front of microphones and talk about the room.
“It’s definitely going to be collaborative,” offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “You look across the league at that position anymore, and I think you’re best off when you’re sharing the workload with multiple people. Whether it’s two, three, four people. Everybody kind of fills their role. We’ll figure it out, but it comes back to what I’ve been saying all offseason. ‘What’s it going to take this week?’”
A year ago, the 26-year-old Brown took a career-high 183 carries and averaged 4.3 yards with five touchdowns, so the uptick in workload showcased what he might do with an even bigger chance.
And then there was Brown as a rookie who averaged 4.1 yards over 44 carries and would’ve had a bigger role last season were it not for an ill-timed injury.
Yet, fans will recall highs like this:
54-yard TUDDY for the rookie @chasebrown____
pic.twitter.com/ToN1Lej3qk
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 10, 2023
Talk of a committee approach doesn’t mean the Bengals won’t add another running back via the draft at the right value. But right now, the Moss-Brown combo certainly seems to be the plan.