The Bengals’ search for help behind Chase Brown may be pointing them toward a familiar name.
Pittsburgh running back Kaleb Johnson is a possible cut candidate this weekend, and local Pittsburgh media voice Andrew Filliponi said Cincinnati is interested if that happens. The idea is simple: the Bengals need depth at running back, and Johnson has already been on their radar.
Filliponi posted on X: "The Bengals are eyeing Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson," Filliponi posted on X. "If he’s cut.
And could try trading for the 3rd-round bust RB. Cincinnati has very little depth behind Chase Brown.
And really liked Johnson in the 2025 NFL Draft. He went to Cincy for a draft visit.
Stay tuned."
Whether that interest turns into anything real is another matter, but the fit is easy to understand. Cincinnati has not had any names emerge behind Brown this preseason, and Johnson has flashed in exhibition action. Through 37 snaps, he has posted a 70.3 Pro Football Focus grade, including a 79.6 pass-blocking grade on just three snaps.
Brown, meanwhile, is stepping into a bigger role of his own. He talked this week about how the Bengals are using him in the slot and giving him more ways to impact the offense.
"I love the way that they're involving me in the offense, putting me in the slot, and allowing me to use my full skill set to make plays," Brown said of his expanded role at his locker. "I'm going into Year 4 of this offense, so over time you kind of learn the concepts and memorize them without even really knowing them."
The Bengals are also staring down a busy stretch of roster decisions. Head coach Zac Taylor said Friday night that the next 36 hours will be especially tough as the team trims the roster and sorts out the practice squad.
“This will easily be the hardest 48 hours we face in terms of letting guys go and figuring out the practice squad. It's a big credit to [Bengals Director of Player Personnel] Duke [Tobin] and his staff for the depth that we have overall," Taylor noted on Friday night.
"It's a big credit to the coaching staff for how they've built a lot of these guys that have gotten in these competitions and made things hard for us. I think you're starting to see, especially in Year 2 in the defensive scheme, a lot of guys made huge jumps.
"On offense, we've been together for a long time now, and I think the coaches have gotten the most out of these guys, and [Bengals Offensive Coordinator] Dan [Pitcher] with these specialists have been outstanding. So I think that's a credit to the whole building, and we just got to keep it going.”
Johnson has drawn Cincinnati interest before, so this is not a brand-new connection. Now the question is whether that long-standing curiosity turns into a move to the Queen City.
In Other News...
Bengals Practice Squad Decisions Just Put New Pressure On Roster Depth
After the waiver wire deadline passed, Cincinnati settled its 16-man practice squad and gave a clearer picture of how it wants to protect its depth heading into the season. The group includes Sean Clifford, Myles Hinton, Bralyn Lux, Kendall Milton and Russ Yeast, and it also reflects a front office still trying to build enough insurance around the roster for the long haul.
Hinton is the most notable addition from a depth standpoint after the Bengals claimed the second-year offensive tackle from Michigan off waivers to help shore up the tackle room. Beyond him, the practice squad is also a holding area for a few players who were part of the late-roster conversation, with some in line to help on special teams and others needing more time to develop before they can push for active-roster work. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Practice Squad Could Bring Back Familiar Faces And A Few Surprises
The Bengals have trimmed to their 53-man roster, and now the attention shifts to how Cincinnati fills out its practice squad. With a projected 16 spots available, the setup opens the door for some familiar faces to circle back if they clear waivers, along with a few names the staff could decide are worth keeping close as the season approaches.
The next day or so will sort out whether those released players can return, and whether the Bengals make any outside additions before the waiver deadline passes. It is the kind of roster shuffle that can quietly matter later in the year, especially for a team trying to preserve continuity while also leaving room for a surprise or two. [Read more 🡒]
Bengals Just Took Another Painful Hit From The Jessie Bates Fallout
The Bengals roster shuffle took another sharp turn this week when McKinnley Jackson, a third-round compensatory pick in 2024, was waived after failing to crack the initial 53-man group. His path was already narrowing before the cut, with the trade for Dexter Lawrence and the signing of T.J. Slaton squeezing the room in the defensive interior and making every rep even more important.
Jacksons exit adds to the uneasy early return on Cincinnatis 2024 draft class, which has already seen several picks waived or fighting just to stay in the picture. For a team trying to stabilize its trenches and build around a few core veterans, the bigger concern is how quickly a young class can go from hope to uncertainty when the roster starts turning over this fast. [Read more 🡒]