4 Bengals who have offered almost nothing to the team in 2023

3. Chase Brown

In most cases, it wouldn't be surprising for a fifth-round rookie not to get on the field but the Bengals don't really have a set-in-stone backup running back. That makes Chase Brown's absence during the first part of the season a little puzzling.

Brown is currently on IR so not seeing him play recently isn't shocking but he didn't do much in his five active games so far this year. The rookie out of Illinois has appeared in five games but has very little to show for it. Brown has caught just three passes for seven yards and run the ball twice for six yards, giving him a total of 13 scrimmage yards in five games.

Fans were excited when the Bengals spent a fifth-round pick on Brown but he's been a disappointment so far. Yes, he's a rookie and now he's injured so we won't see him again for a few weeks at the earliest but considering the lack of a true RB2 behind Joe Mixon, it's been disappointing that Brown hasn't had more opportunities or stepped up when he has a shot to do something.

There's still a lot of regular season left for Brown to break through and provide something for this offense. Right now though, a lot of casual fans probably forgot that he's even on the team.