SHOCKING: I feel betrayed by Bengals for their harsh decision on me.

SHOCKING: I feel betrayed by Bengals for their harsh decision on me.

The Cincinnati Bengals 2024 roster is loaded. It’s different than the 2023 squad, but it’s still loaded. They still have Tee Higgins (till they don’t), Ja’Marr Chase, Mike Gesicki, who was added this offseason, and Jermaine Burton, who was taken in the draft.

There are a lot of mouths to feed.

NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice listed an underappreciated player from all 32 teams. With so many mouths to feed for this offense, someone is bound to go underutilized and underappreciated.

Gennaro thinks that person is running back Chase Brown.

“Of the 16 AFC players listed in this file, Brown is definitely the biggest projection,” Gilice wrote. “The 2023 fifth-round pick played a total of eight offensive snaps in the first three months of his rookie season, initially buried on the depth chart behind bell-cow back Joe Mixon and then sidelined on injured reserve with a hamstring issue. But over the final six weeks of last season, Brown showcased his ability as a rusher/receiver, piling up 173 yards on the ground and 149 through the air, including a 54-yard catch-and-run touchdown. He displayed nice burst and tackle-breaking ability, bringing some needed juice to the Bengals’ backfield. In March, Cincinnati traded Mixon to Houston and signed veteran back Zach Moss. While Moss could start the 2024 campaign as Cincy’s early-down/goal-line hammer, I expect Brown to continue making his mark as a versatile playmaker — and don’t be surprised if he increasingly takes over the timeshare.”

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Without Mixon, most believe the running back room will turn into a true timeshare, where no one player out-carries another by a drastic margin. Maybe the team rides a hot hand here or there, but, for the most part, everyone does about the same amount.

Good for the team? Possibly.

Good for your fantasy team? No.

Brown did add a level of explosiveness out of the backfield in the second half of the season that they were missing badly. With Zack Moss in the mix, as well as Trayveon Williams (and maybe Chris Evans?), Brown could be just another face in the crowd.

However, if he gets the hot hand early, he could ride that all the way to a dominant season that shows a new face atop the depth chart behind Burrow.

 

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