Who Should I Start? Chase Brown or Kaleb Johnson

Monday, August 4, 1:50 PM

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown is expected to see an uptick in his passing-game numbers in 2025 after he caught 14 passes for 156 yards a year ago, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Brown has worked to improve his receiving abilities, and head coach Zac Taylor thinks it can be a strength for him. Despite the fact that the Bengals have studs in the passing game with receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and tight end Mike Gesicki, the expectation is that Brown "will serve as a safety valve in the screen game when defenses try to take away Chase or Higgins." The 25-year-old took over the backfield from Zack Moss (no longer on the team) last year and came 10 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard rushing mark while adding 11 total touchdowns in 16 games (10 starts). Brown is the focal point of one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, making him a low-end RB1 target.

Friday, August 15, 9:20 AM

According to Andrew Fillipponi, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson is unlikely to have a big role on offense early in the season. Johnson still needs to work on his pass protection and pass-catching ability before taking on a bigger role. It's still fairly early in training camp, so things could change from now to Week 1. The expectation is that Jaylen Warren will be the lead back to start the season. After that, Johnson and Kenneth Gainwell figure to get mixed in as change-of-pace backs. If Johnson improves quickly, he could see his role on the team grow rapidly. The Steelers are high on Johnson after taking him in the third-round, but it seems like the rookie back still has things to work on before he's ready to take on a larger workload.