3 Bengals players who could be nice surprises in 2024

Chase Brown, Running back

After a pretty quiet rookie campaign -- 179 yards on 44 carries -- expectations are somewhat tempered for Chase Brown's sophomore season in the NFL. However, Brown could prove to be one of the Bengals biggest surprises in 2024.

Despite the pretty pedestrian stats, there are reasons to be excited about what Brown showed as a rookie. He averaged 4.1 yards per carry, which is a respectable number, especially for a first-year player. Plus, he was showed an ability to be effective as a receiver.

Brown caught 14 passes (out of 15 targets) for 156 yards and a touchdown as a rookie. That's an average of over 11 yards per reception -- or a first down and change every time he caught the ball. That's a skill set that the Bengals should definitely tap into more in 2024.

While Zack Moss is expected to be Cincinnati's starting running back, Brown should also get ample on-field opportunity, as the team plans to utilize a timeshare approach in the backfield.

"It's definitely going to be collaborative," offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said earlier this month. "You look across the league at that position anymore, and I think you're best off when you're sharing the workload with multiple people. Whether it's two, three, four people. Everybody kind of fills their role. We'll figure it out, but it comes back to what I've been saying all offseason. 'What's it going to take this week?'"

Keep an eye on Brown in 2024.