The Bengals have spent much of the Joe Burrow era trying to live on the pass, and Sunday was a perfect reminder of why that works so well when it’s humming. Burrow dropped back, the offense popped, and Cincinnati stacked five straight touchdown drives.
But that kind of fireworks show only gets you so far once the calendar turns and the weather starts to matter more. When the playoffs arrive, the Bengals can’t afford to be one-dimensional. Right now, they’re not built to win a Super Bowl if the run game stays where it is.
Cincinnati sits bottom-five in yards per carry at 3.6, and fixing that doesn’t necessarily require some massive overhaul. There are a couple of pretty simple looks the Bengals could lean into.
One answer is getting Jacob Bayer on the field more often as an extra offensive lineman in jumbo packages. The Bengals have only used him in that role in flashes - five snaps at inline tight end, to be exact - but even that tiny sample hints at the possibilities. More Bayer should mean a sturdier, more varied ground game.
The comparison that jumps out is Miami’s use of Daniel Brunskill last season. When the Dolphins were off to a 1-6 start, they began using Brunskill as a de facto extra inline tight end, and their rushing attack took off from there. Bayer could fill that same kind of job for Cincinnati, especially with Erick All Jr. out for the season with a torn ACL.
Bayer also wasn’t exactly expected to make the 53-man roster when camp opened. He forced the issue with how well he played in training camp and the preseason.
And Bengals fans already got a little taste of what he can do. In the Week 5 win over Miami, Bayer went in motion before the snap as a lead blocker and flattened Cincinnati center Ted Karras in a case of friendly fire. The Bengals still converted the 3rd and 1.
That said, Cincinnati doesn’t have to abandon what Burrow does best. There’s no need to start living in heavy personnel all the time when the quarterback is so dangerous spreading defenses out and working from empty sets. Still, if Chase Brown and/or Samaje Perine are going to generate more on the ground, a little extra force up front from Bayer could help.
There’s another possibility too: Landon Robinson at fullback.
Back in mid-August, the rookie seventh-round pick was already being discussed as a possible fullback during training camp work. That idea hasn’t shown up on Sundays because Robinson got squeezed out by the numbers at defensive tackle. The coaching staff has stayed loyal to 2024 second-round pick Kris Jenkins Jr., even with his ongoing struggles, and Robinson has ended up as a healthy scratch.
At 295 pounds, Robinson looks like the kind of player who could bring some pop in that role. He has a squatty frame, explosive movement, and the kind of temperament that would fit pancaking linebackers in the hole.
The running game has been rough enough that it may be time to get creative. Maybe Bayer, maybe Robinson, maybe both. At this point, digging a little deeper into the playbook might be worth it for Zac Taylor.
In Other News...
Bengals Trade Deadline Debate Just Got Much Bigger Than Running Back
The trade deadline conversation around the Bengals has started to widen beyond the obvious running back chatter, even with marquee names like Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley floating around the market. Cincinnatis interest in upgrading the backfield is understandable given Chase Browns uneven production, but the bigger question is whether a splashy move at that spot fits the way this front office usually operates.
For a team that has tended to lean draft-heavy in building its roster, the more practical fix may be elsewhere on the roster. The Bengals could use help in several spots, and the argument is growing that reinforcements on defense or up front might do more for the stretch run than chasing a high-profile runner. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Trade Buzz Is Zeroing In On A Much More Realistic RB Move
The Bengals search for backfield help has started to sound a lot more practical as the NFL trade deadline approaches, and the name drawing the most attention is a veteran runner who could give Cincinnati immediate stability. The idea is less about chasing a splashy headline and more about finding a proven piece who can slide into the rotation with Chase Brown and help balance an offense that could use another reliable option on the ground.
What makes this possibility appealing is the combination of production and price. Compared with the bigger-name backs who tend to dominate deadline chatter, this is the kind of move that fits a team looking for help without overcommitting long term, especially with an expiring deal in play. Nothing is confirmed yet, but the buzz is clearly pointing toward a more realistic type of upgrade if Cincinnati decides to act. [Read more 🡒]
Jessie Bates Just Reopened A Painful Bengals What-If
Jessie Bates departure from Cincinnati in 2023 still lingers as one of those roster decisions that never really goes away. The Bengals chose not to offer him a multi-year contract, instead using their salary cap space elsewhere, and Bates has handled the business side of it with the same calm he showed on the field. Even so, his exit left a hole at safety that Cincinnati has spent the last couple of seasons trying to patch.
Bryan Cook was brought in to help stabilize that spot, but the larger issue remains the same: the Bengals have not found a clean replacement for what Bates brought. And while the move made sense in the moment from a cap-management standpoint, it has only sharpened the sense that this was one of those franchise crossroads that can be revisited for years. [Read more 🡒]