The Cincinnati Bengals' offense has been as good as expected this season. Joe Burrow is playing in MVP-like form, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins have both been as dangerous as ever, and, the offensive line is keeping Burrow upright.
However, the running game has been a struggle this year, especially for Chase Brown. It's a slight mystery too, as the offensive line's run-blocking numbers haven't been a concern, and Samaje Perine has been able to be productive, but Brown has really struggled.
So far this season, he has 82 carries for 285 yards and a touchdown, which works out at 3.5 yards per carry. All that can be said about that is...mid. It does feel like it will open up for Brown at some point, but there's so much trade talk that he may be feeling uneasy.
The Bengals have been linked to Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who is a candidate to be moved before the trade deadline. Cincy has also been linked to Titans running back Tony Pollard as a potential target.
But, are we doing Brown somewhat of a discredit, and has he actually been as poor as we think he has so far this season?
Chase Brown's blocking has been elite
Brown is very much a smaller-bodied back, who has impressive speed, and is able to break out for those elusive explosive runs. We haven't seen it so far this year, but Brown has developed as a back and improved his blocking ability.
Before the season, you would have considered Brown the early down back, and Perine as the third down back, mainly due to his pass blocking abilities - something that Perine has always excelled at.
However, this season, it has flipped somewhat, as Brown has been the best running back in the NFL in terms of pass blocking. According to PFF, for backs who've blocked for at least 25 snaps, Brown is graded at 87.0, which is impressive when you consider that Chargers running back Omarion Hampton is second at 80.5.
Chase Brown: pass game protector 🛡️ pic.twitter.com/uWaD52c82P
— PFF (@PFF) October 30, 2026
It seems that Brown has become an elite blocker in the passing game, and that won't go unnoticed. It's very useful for Burrow to have a good pass-blocking back, as he can audible Brown into a block if he notices that there's going to be pressure before the snap. If Brown struggled to block, we could see a much less upright Joe Burrow.
The criticism for Brown has been deserved this season in the running game, but, it's about time we gave him some credit for his blocking.
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