One player who has benefited from the development has been former Illinois running back Chase Brown. After taking over as Cincinnati's starter in Week 6 last season, Brown has sprinted forward without looking back. He got five carries on Monday and rushed for 22 yards – and even scored the first touchdown of the game.

With the Bengals looking to replace previous mainstay Joe Mixon, Brown started out slow in his battle with Zack Moss but overtook the veteran by early October. The fight ended entirely when Moss suffered a Week 8 neck injury,

"I believe Chase Brown is a top-10 back in the league," offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. "Certainly, you don’t want to burn the guy out. You also want to make sure your most explosive players are on the field and ready to touch the ball as many times as possible.

Brown, a former Illinois star, ran away with the Bengals starting spot in 2024 – and appears poised for a breakout 2025

After being one of the league’s top running backs in the second half of last season, the Cincinnati Bengals are looking for Chase Brown to be an even bigger focal point this season. Joe Burrow has a new weapon: How Noah Fant can help an already loaded Bengals offense

Quarterback Joe Burrow isn't the only member of the Bengals who thinks running back Chase Brown has big things ahead of him this season.

The Cincinnati Bengals are putting their trust in a 25-year-old Canadian to carry the rushing load for them next season.

The Cincinnati Bengals releasing running back Zack Moss tells us a lot about the confidence in the current running back situation.

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