One of the biggest breakout stars of the 2024 season was Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown, who would finish his sophomore season with 990 rushing yards, 360 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns. Providing a dual-threat option out of the backfield for the Bengals proved to be an added wrinkle to their high-powered offense but still wasn't enough to get respect around the league.
Former NFL running back and current NFL Network analyst Maurice Jones-Drew recently released his running back rankings from 1 to 32, and Brown is incredibly low for someone coming off a very productive season. Pointing to the Bengals focus on the pass game rather than the run game, MJD ranked Brown as the 31st starting running back in the league, just ahead of Javonte Williams of the Dallas Cowboys. Here's what Jones-Drew wrote about his placement of Brown.
"Brown was solid in 2024, taking on a much bigger role within the offense in his second NFL season. Brown's placement here is less about his ability and more about the Bengals' investment in the passing game. After watching Joe Burrow lead the league in many passing categories in 2024, Cincinnati extended both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on nine-figure deals. Cincy's offense will flow through the aerial attack." (NFL.com)
There's no denying that the Bengals are a pass-heavy team, but after Brown exploded onto the scene out of nowhere, it feels as if he's still being overlooked and underrated coming into this season. Brown missed the regular season finale last year due to an ankle sprain, but should enter training camp as the team's lead back in the running game.