By Conrad Clowers
Herald Sports Writer
The draft is always a hit and miss thing. The last two seasons Cincinnati has finished among the tops in the AFC. That’s good. The bad part of that is if you finish among the tops you draft late. The top two drafts this past season of the Bengals were: #1 Myles Murphy out of Clemson and #2 Chase Brown out of Illinois.
Murphy has had his moments. To be honest the jury is still out on what type of player the former Clemson Tiger will be.
On the other hand, Chase Brown has shown something on another level. For most of the season the Illinois rookie has battled injury. That has now come to pass. Brown has gotten his share of playing time the last two games, and to say that he has made the most of it is an understatement. The former college star looks as if he has potential to take over as the Bengals next great running back. The tradition may not be one of winning a lot, but some of the positions the Bengals have produced all time greats. Running back is one of those positions.
Some of the greats to play the running back position for Cincinnati are Pete Johnson, James Brooks, Rudi Johnson, and Corrie Dillion. The past seven seasons, Joe Mixon has established himself as the Bengal workhorse.
The emerging of Chase Brown may see the torch passed sooner than later. The now healthy Brown had a breakout game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night football. Brown torched the Jaguars for 61 yards on 7 carries. This past week, Brown continued his battering ways as he caught 3 passes for 80 yards, scoring a long touchdown. The long touchdown dazzled the Bengals jungle and established him as the best kept secret weapon of 2023 for Cincinnati.
Brown is a much traveled man. The Ontario, Canada, native moved to Florida in high school. After transferring from Western Michigan to Illinois, he would go on to make his mark. In the 2022 season at Illinois, the future Bengal would rush for 1,643 yards on 328 carries. In the Big 10, this says a lot for Brown’s skills. Cincinnati could not resist the urge to draft the speedster in the 2nd round of the 2023 draft.Â
Cincinnati is sitting pretty and in the thick of the playoff race. The team is currently just on the outside looking in with four games remaining. This past weekend, Brown and the Bengals destroyed the Indianapolis Colts 34-14. The emerging of Brown doesn’t just give hope for the 23 season. It gives hope for the next several years to come with so many weapons.
The record contract of Joe Burrow this past off season puts constraints on what the team can pay other players. To find cheap, elite talent like Brown is a must. He may have a while before he’s up for negotiating a new contract. For now the Bengals can watch the budding star help his team push for a playoff spot and maybe more.