Although he began 2024 as an off-the-bench complement to Zack Moss, it didn't take long for Brown to prove he was the top running back in Cincinnati. It was probably in Week 4 that the Bengals coaching staff got the hint, when Brown ran for 80 yards and two TDs against Carolina. He went on to out-touch Moss in the next four games, at which point Moss suffered a season-ending neck injury. Brown demonstrated immense receiving upside over eight subsequent games, catching 38 passes, confirming that he has the ability to claim standout volume as both a runner and receiver. The Bengals expect Moss to return healthy and signed accomplished passing-down back Samaje Perine in free agency, but Brown (4.43-second 40-yard dash) is their best rushing threat and also their most dangerous RB after the catch. Brown withstood massive usage in college at Illinois without breaking down, and he made it through last season healthy until suffering a freak ankle sprain Week 17 when he intentionally went down to run out clock. He might have returned to action if Cincinnati had reached the playoffs, and he's now in excellent position for large 2025 workloads after the team waited until Round 6 to draft a running back (Tahj Brooks).
