Bengals Cut Zack Moss in Major Running Back Statement originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Cincinnati Bengals shook up the running back room Wednesday but cutting last year's Week 1 starter Zack Moss.
Moss, who signed with Cincy in free agency ahead of his fifth NFL season, played just eight games (six starts) before eventually having his job taken by explosive second-year ball-carrier Chase Brown. Moss dealt with a scary neck injury last year and previously had his contract re-structured, making this move easier to explain.
This decision tell us that the Bengals are fully transitioning to Brown as the bell-cow back. It appears to be the smart choice as Brown performed as well as any running back in the NFL in the second half of the season. With a full season of RB1 carries, Brown is easily poised for a breakout 1,000-yard rushing season ... Heck, he posted 990 in just 10 starts a year ago.
Furthermore, Cincinnati drafted workhorse running back Tahj Brooks in the sixth round, who had a record-setting career at Texas Tech. Brooks is impressing at camp and already fighting for backup duties. Proven vet Samaje Perine will also fight for reps, another case against keeping Moss around.
Even before this announcement, it appeared the Bengals had already decided to feature Brown from this point forward. Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher opened training camp raving about the former fifth-round pick after he was working in on some receiver drills in addition to his running back duties.
"We thought we had a pretty special player, and then Chase reminded us that we, in fact, did have a pretty special player. You have to think about where are the best places we can utilize him. Obviously, he's a running back. He's going to have traditional running back touches. And then it's on us to see if there are times and places where we can utilize him in varying roles that might get us a matchup on the perimeter ...
"And those will change week to week, opponent to opponent. But what we know won't change is Chase's approach and his preparedness in how he does his job. And you know he's got a lot of believers in this building, myself being one of them, and it'll be a big part of what we do."Dan Pitcher
Cincinnati saved $1.7 million in Moss’ restructured contract, and now save an additional $3 million upon his release. This is especially noteworthy as star edge rusher Trey Hendrickson - who concluded his holdout in a "good faith" gesture Wednesday - is still seeking a new high-priced extension.
For Brown, this opportunity to be the premier back will be huge not only for his development, but the Bengals' offense as a whole. During the team's five-game win streak to end the season, Brown increased his yards per game by 15 from his season average, and that was without playing in the regular-season finale. Brown also excels in the pass game, hauling in two touchdown catches during that late-season push.
The Illinois product accounted for 1,350 all-purpose yards and 11 total touchdowns last year for Cincinnati's dynamic offense ... and that was in a much lesser role than what he could see in 2025.
Already equipped with arguably the best pass-game arsenal in stars Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, adding a versatile player like Chase Brown to the full-time mix should help the Bengals tremendously. Keeping up the camaraderie and momentum from that five-game win streak will be crucial to start the season, as Cincy has not gotten off to good starts in recent years of the Burrow/Ja'Marr/Higgins Era.
The Bengals will also need all the explosive offense they can get with how the defense is expected to be this year...
But for now, Who Dey Nation can expect the full Chase Brown Experience in 2025 as he officially takes over the backfield in Year 3.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
