3 Bengals players who need to thrive in Week 1 vs. Patriots

Trent Brown, Offensive tackle

Trent Brown will begin the season as a starter on the offensive line, but rookie Amarius Mims is hot on his heels. Mims missed a chunk of training camp and preseason play due to a pectoral injury, so he fell out of contention for a starting spot in Week 1 kind of by default.

It remains to be seen just how much Mims will be available to play in the game against New England, if at all. But when he is ultimately good to go, Mims will challenge Brown for that top spot, and if Brown hasn't performed well during the games that he started, it will be even easier for Mims to usurp him.

Zack Moss, Running back

A lot of fans in Cincinnati aren't quite sure what to expect when it comes to Zack Moss. He didn't play in the preseason at all, and he's never been a full-time starting back in the league before. On the other hand, there's a lot of buzz about second-year back Chase Brown heading into the season.

Brown was recently named the team's X-factor for 2024, and he reportedly took some first-team reps throughout training camp. He also recently received some very high public praise from one of his teammates.

"If I could play fantasy football, I'd take [Chase Brown] as my first running back," veteran offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. said last month. "He's going to have a year. I guarantee it. Special talent, special player."

The Bengals plan to employ a timeshare approach at the running back position, so perhaps the title of "starter" doesn't matter quite as much there, but if Moss starts off the season slowly, it wouldn't be crazy to see Brown ultimately overtake him on the depth chart.