Cincinnati Bengals rookie running back Chase Brown spent the first part of the season on the sideline or injured. In Cincy's first 11 games, Brown took three total carries, caught three passes and sat out five contests.
Then, two weeks ago: Blam!
Brown, who ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine last year, injected some much-needed speed into the backfield, dashing for 61 yards -- including a 31-yarder -- on nine carries in a win over Jacksonville. In Week 14's win over Indy, he added a 54-yard screen touchdown to open the scoring. Brown went for 105 scrimmage yards on 11 touches with the TD on Sunday. The RB reached a top speed of 22.05 mph on his 54-yard score, the second-fastest play by a ball carrier this season (DK Metcalf, 22.23 mph), per Next Gen Stats.
"We've learned he is that fast," Bengals coach Zac Taylor said of Brown, via the Dayton Daily News. "We do the GPS in practice on kickoff return, things like that. He's had opportunities to show how fast he is. Second fastest? That's pretty good. He's a fast guy. Real fast."
Brown spent one year at Western Michigan before transferring to Illinois in 2019, where he spent four seasons. In his final year with the Illini, the running back gobbled up 1,643 yards and 10 TDs on 328 carries.
"I was more slow-paced (in college)," Brown said. "Once I got to the NFL and working with coach (Justin) Hill, the main thing is using that speed as an advantage. That's something we were talking about all week. When the opportunity was there, and I saw tons of space, I thought I'm going to turn on the jets. Especially after that big run against Jacksonville, I thought if I could turn on the jets, I could make a big play."
Brown's emergence has provided much-needed pop to the Bengals' backfield alongside the grinding Joe Mixon. Cincy has been unable to find a suitable running mate for the starter for years, and when Mixon has struggled at times, the ground game cratered. The hope is that Brown will buoy the backfield down the stretch as the Bengals attempt to stay in the playoff hunt.
"I think he's stepping in and doing his thing," Mixon said of Brown. "He's bringing a spark and I feel he's doing a great job, especially as a rookie. He's learned the playbook. He's doing all the right things right and (we've) just got to keep it up. We're feeding off each other, so once you make one play, that leads to another. Everybody's going to need it."
Given Mixon's contract situation -- he took a pay cut in the offseason to remain in Cincy -- we could be at the early stages of Brown earning the lead-back role in 2024.
Brown and the Bengals take on the Minnesota Vikings Saturday, Dec. 16, at 1 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
