Who Should I Start? Tahj Brooks or Montrell Johnson Jr.

Monday, November 24, 1:36 PM

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor has ruled out rookie running back Tahj Brooks (concussion) for this Thursday's Thanksgiving Day game against the division-rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 13, according to Jay Morrison of SI.com. Brooks suffered a concussion in Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots, and on a short week, the 23-year-old won't be able to clear the league's concussion protocol. Veteran Samaje Perine (ankle) has missed the last two games due to injury and might not be available this week, either, so the Bengals' backfield could be extremely thin behind Chase Brown this week versus Baltimore. If Perine ends up missing a third straight game, expect Gary Brightwell to operate as Cincy's RB2 behind Brown on Turkey Day. Brooks has only nine rushing attempts in 11 games this year for 28 rushing yards.

Friday, August 22, 11:15 PM

Philadelphia Eagles running back Montrell Johnson Jr. carried the ball 15 times for 57 yards and a touchdown in a 19-17 win over the New York Jets on Friday. Johnson got more than double his touches from last week against Cleveland and was far more productive in an overall stronger outing for the Philly offense. His highlight came in a 15-yard rush up the middle for his team's only time finding the end zone all night. The undrafted rookie couldn't manage to get very involved in the passing game, having no receptions on two targets. While Johnson has gotten the most work in the Eagles backfield over the last two games, it still seems unlikely that he'll get many looks during the 2025 season.