This season, for the first time since 2016, a running back not named Joe Mixon will lead the way on the ground. It was a predicted move that the Cincinnati Bengals moved off of its 2017 second-round selection considering Mixon had been the topic of being a cap casualty for a few offseasons. This offseason, the Bengals traded Mixon to the Houston Texans for a seventh-round pick which, in turn, was used on Daijahn Anthony, the safety from Ole Miss.
As a result, the Bengals went out and signed Zack Moss to go with second-year player, Chase Brown. With this move, the Bengals running backs are falling down rankings and projections. Experts and media alike are overlooking the Bengals running back room. Considering neither Moss nor Brown have had to carry the load for a team to this point, it makes sense. However, either could break out in 2024.
The Cincinnati Bengals Running Backs are Being Underrated
Moss comes to Cincinnati with four years of experience at the NFL level. In total, he’s amassed 2,076 yards and 14 touchdowns off 484 carries. He is coming off the best season of his career with eight starts, 794 yards, and five scores off 183 carries. Moss did top 100 rushing yards twice, the second and third times of his career. He did so as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, filling in for Jonathan Taylor.
Meanwhile, 2023 was Brown’s first season in the NFL. Behind Mixon, Brown appeared in 12 games and rushed for 179 yards without a score. He did provide a jolt as a receiver, hauling in 14 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown was a 54-yarder against the Colts on a screen.
Mixon was always known as a bit of an inefficient running back. PFF even went so far as to say he was holding the run game back last year. Now that he’s gone, it will be on Moss and Brown to improve upon that. Brown showed flashes of explosivity, evidenced by that long touchdown but he rarely played with Burrow. He was on the field for a grand total of eight snaps pre-Burrow injury. However, the offense integrated him later in the year with 85 snaps in the final six games. In his first bit of real action, he averaged 6.78 yards per carry.
Offensive Line Revamped
Last year, according to ESPN Analytics’ numbers, the Bengals ranked ninth in the NFL with a 72% run-block win rate. They define run-block win rate, or RBWR, as “the proportion of plays in which a player “won” his block on designed running plays. It uses angles, distances, and speeds throughout the execution of a play to tell who is blocking whom and to determine whether the defender was able to meaningfully beat the block (or blocks in the case of a double-team).”
When it comes to individual players, the Bengals don’t have any single player in the top 10. Despite that, they are one of the better teams as a complete unit.
Now, that offensive line that was actually pretty good in the run game added a tackle in Trent Brown who was one of the best in the NFL at run blocking. For a good portion of the year, the was the top-graded tackle in run blocking by PFF. Admittedly, this is an area first-round pick Amarius Mims will need to improve upon.
What the Experts Say
Recently, ESPN polled over 80 NFL coaches, scouts, and executives to name their top 10 at each of the given positions. When the topic turned to running back, neither Moss nor Brown garnered a single vote while Mixon was one of the handful of Honorable Mentions. The same could be said for CBS Sports‘ rankings.
PFF‘s Trevor Sikkema does not think highly of the duo. For their rankings, the Bengals running back room was slotted in at 30th. This is what he had to say:
The Bengals signed Zack Moss this offseason to replace Joe Mixon, who the team traded to the Texans. Moss has recorded steady rushing grades in the 70.0s in each of his four seasons with a healthy yards per carry average right around 4.0.
Cincinnati also has Chase Brown, their fifth-round pick from 2023, to bring some added speed to the backfield. Brown had a tough rookie season, recording a 59.0 rushing grade.
Ryan McCrystal of SharpFootballAnalysis is in the same realm, ranking the Bengals at 28th in the NFL. His reasoning is:
Votes for Cincinnati’s backfield ranged from 25th to 32nd. Those voting on the high end of that spectrum are likely hoping for a breakout performance from Chase Brown, their 2023 fifth-round pick. In limited action, Brown gained 10 or more yards on 9.1% of carries. For comparison, among full-time ball carriers, only Miami’s De’Von Achane was better.
In reality, the Bengals do not overly rely on its rushing attack when Burrow and his receivers are all fully healthy. However, how often has that been? Both Moss and Brown will have roles in this year’s offense, especially at the beginning of the year as Burrow continues to heal from his wrist injury.
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