Chase Brown was a revelation for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2024. The Bengals needed someone to step up in the backfield following the departure of Joe Mixon over the offseason, and Brown did exactly that.
Chase Brown named Cincinnati's most improved player from 2024
As a result of his productive play, Brown was named Cincinnati's most improved player in '24 by Pro Football Focus. Here's some of what the publication had to say about the Bengals' emergent back:
"Longtime Bengals running back Joe Mixon joined the Texans in the offseason, which left a big hole to fill at the position. The team signed Zack Moss to share the touches with Chase Brown, who they drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but Brown really broke out once Moss ended up on IR. Brown carried the 229 times for 990 yards and seven touchdowns in 16 games, earning a 75.7 grade."
As is often the case with "most improved" discussions, Brown's growth in 2024 was likely to do increased opportunity, as opposed to some enormous jump in his skill set. As a rookie in 2023, Brown simply didn't see the field much.
Playing behind Mixon, Brown got just 44 carries for 179 yards and he played just 93 total offensive snaps during his first season in Cincinnati. Compare that to this past season when he played 686 offensive snaps and turned 229 carries into 990 yards and seven touchdowns. Clearly, the increased workload led directly to Brown's massive jump in production.
The challenge for Brown now will be to replicate -- or improve upon -- his solid '24 campaign moving forward. He's certainly not going to catch any teams by surprise in the future like he might have this past season, and it's always harder to produce when you're the focal point of opponent scouting reports.
But, Brown appears to be up to the task, and he could be in line for an even bigger 2025 season as he's projected to enter the campaign as the unquestioned starter in the backfield for Cincinnati for the first time in his career.
