Pro Football Focus’ latest 1-32 ranking of starting running backs for the 2026 NFL season put Chase Brown at No. 18, a spot that looks awfully light for a back who just put together a massive year for Cincinnati.
Brown’s production last season was hard to miss. He finished 11th in the NFL in scrimmage yards with a team-high 1,456, piling up 1,019 rushing yards and 437 receiving yards. He also drew 88 targets, which ranked him sixth among all running backs in receiving yards and underscored how much he mattered to the Bengals on both downs.
Still, the ranking lines up with the 2025 PFF grade Brown posted: 75.1 overall, which placed him 17th among 36 running backs with at least 150 carries.
“The Bengals are known for their lethal aerial attack, but Brown has become a stable force in their backfield,” the article stated. “He recorded his first 1,000-yard campaign in 2025 while placing fifth among all running backs with 69 regular-season receptions. If Brown can continue to offer that same level of production, the Bengals can boast an authentic two-dimensional offensive unit.”
Brown doesn’t have to fight for top snaps in Cincinnati, and at 26, he’s right in the middle of a running back’s prime. Even so, PFF slotted him behind two other AFC North backs: Baltimore’s Derrick Henry at No. 4 and Pittsburgh’s Jaylen Warren at No. 14.
“Warren finally emerged as Pittsburgh’s lead back in 2025 and certainly earned his keep as a runner and as a receiver,” the article noted. “His 958 regular-season rushing yards and 76.6 PFF rushing grade led the team’s qualified rushers, while his 84.4 PFF receiving grade was the sixth-best among all qualified running backs. Warren’s 77 combined missed tackles forced as a rusher and receiver during the regular season were the fourth-highest total in the NFL.
The receiving seems to be the difference between Warren and Brown, but it's not a big gap if that's the case. Brown barely paced behind Warren's 81 overall receiving mark with a 75.1 overall number last season.
Brown also has a clear reason to keep climbing. He’s heading into the final year of his 2023 rookie contract, and he’s among a small group of Bengals, including Dax Hill and DJ Turner II, who are in line to work toward a new extension.
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