Looking at the Cincinnati Bengals right now, one might suggest the wide receiver room is the biggest problem for Joe Burrow’s offense.
It’s fair on first pass. Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Colbie Young are on the injury report. Andrei Iosivas is on injured reserve. The Bengals already went and signed Mitch Tinsley from another team, getting him back in town.
But it’s not the biggest issue for Burrow’s offense. That honor goes to the running back depth chart.
Going into the offseason, wideout depth and running back depth appeared to be issues in Cincinnati. The Bengals fixed the wideout issue. Running back, they hardly did anything.
And it shows.
Chase Brown has struggled out of the gates this year, gaining 207 yards and one score on a 3.6 average.
Samaje Perine has averaged 3.2 yards over 13 attempts. Names like Tahj Brooks and practice squad members Kendall Milton and Kentrel Bullock haven’t received a touch.
We can sit back and blame scheme all day. Zac Taylor isn’t great at crafting a running game and the under-center stuff look shaky at best. Burrow also wants to pass often.
But Brown’s reads in the open field have been hit-or-miss:
I'm looking for a different one, but this...should've been a bigger gain. pic.twitter.com/wl9m2dsMcw
— 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 (@BengalsCaptain) October 7, 2026
There are plenty of EPA numbers to pull and such, but the eyes don’t lie when it comes to Brown and the running back room right now. This isn’t what anyone expected when the Bengals returned the same starting five offensive linemen for the first time in the Burrow era.
This isn’t advocating for the Bengals to go trade for a star running back or do something dramatic. But better depth, even if it’s a sledgehammer-like runner as a veteran who can rush well in those under-center looks, would go a long way toward helping fix things.
And like usual with the Bengals, this was a pretty easy issue to see coming for those outside of Paycor Stadium. Now, the question is whether those inside of it will do what needs to be done in order to get it fixed.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals injuries are hiding offense’s biggest problem
