Tahj

Brooks

No surprise that a player in protocol will miss a short-week game. Brooks’ absence will leave the Bengals with little behind Chase Brown unless Samaje Perine is able to return from a high-ankle sprain on Thursday. Gary Brightwell, a special teamer, is the only other back on the roster. Kendall Milton is hanging out on the practice squad. Don’t be surprised to see Bengals RB workouts ahead of Thursday’s game. Trey Hendrickson (hip) was also ruled out for Thursday, as usual.

Brooks was getting a chance to play more with Semaje Perine (ankle) inactive on Sunday. Unfortunately, Brooks suffered an injury of his own and is now being evaluated for a possible concussion. If he’s unable to return, that would mean Chase Brown would see almost all of the running back snaps the rest of the way.

Brown’s 5.5 YPC on the day is buoyed by a 35-yard run he ripped off in the third quarter. The bell cow back was unable to find the end zone in this one, but somewhat made up for it with another high-volume day through the air. Brown’s eight targets on the day were second only to Ja’Marr Chase, and made for a nice little PPR scam for fantasy managers in a game that saw the Bengals’ offense struggle for most of the afternoon. Tahj Brooks played just 11 percent of the snaps to Brown’s 85 percent and ran the ball once. The volume puts Brown on the RB1 radar in Week 12 when the Bengals take on the Patriots.

Perine suffered a high-ankle sprain in Week 9 and has not practiced since. Tahj Brooks has assumed backup duties, but the Bengals went back to last year’s “All Chase Brown All The Time” plan in Week 9. We’ll see if they have any more faith in Brooks in Week 11 after their bye.

Not a gaudy statline, but the sixth-rounder’s physical style was on full display. That, per beat reporter Jay Morrison, is what hadn’t really been evident in camp simply because it has been practices instead of live games. Morrison adds that Brooks has looked “quick and explosive.” Brooks wasn’t able to light it up with the Bengals’ second- and third-team offense on Thursday, but he remains the strong favorite to earn No. 2 duties behind Chase Brown.

It’s a small note for the rookie but an important one if he’s going to earn meaningful playing time in his first season as a pro. Dehner Jr. noted that Brooks’ contribution in the passing game has been a “pleasant surprise” through two weeks of training camp. Brooks isn’t going to dethrone Chase Brown as the team’s top running back, but he does appear to be on the fast track to RB2 duties in Cincy. The Bengals also cut Zack Moss at the start of camp, further signaling their confidence in the rookie. Brooks was primarily a runner in college, totaling over 1,500 yards on the ground in back-to-back seasons at Texas Tech. He did, however, catch at least 20 passes in three straight seasons. Even if he isn’t a special pass-catcher out of the backfield, the coaches trusting him to handle than kind of work is what matters most. Brooks is shaping up to be one of the more interesting dart-throws in deep fantasy formats.

Moss signed a two-year deal with the Bengals last offseason. He opened the year as the starter but his role eventually started to shrink. He then suffered a broken neck in his eighth game and was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. The Bengals restructured his contract in the offseason, giving him a chance to make the roster with a strong showing in training camp. That didn’t materialize and Moss is now looking for his fourth NFL team in as many seasons. The move clears the runway for rookie Tahj Brooks to back up Chase Brown. Brooks is competing with Samaje Perine for that role, but Perine has become mostly a third-down back at this point in his career.

Brooks now embarks on his quest to unseat No. 2 rusher Zack Moss, who agreed to a restructured contract in April after his 2024 season was derailed by a Week 8 neck injury. Passing-down specialist Samaje Perine will remain a factor in his siloed role. Brooks is a name to know for dynasty and spring best ball drafts. Redraft relevancy in 2025 is probably a little unlikely.

Perine last played for the Bengals in 2022, catching 38 passes for 287 yards and four scores. Joe Mixon still managed 1,255 yards from scrimmage that season despite missing three games. Assuming Perine plays a bit less than he did in 2022, there should still be plenty of meat left on the bone for Chase Brown to push for RB1 status. As Dehner Jr. notes, the Bengals don’t want Brown playing every snap of every game like he did down the stretch last year. That won’t happen in 2025, but Cincy’s light investments in competition for Brown bode well for his odds of staying hot in his third season. The Bengals’ only addition at running back via the draft was Tahj Brooks in the sixth round.

Brooks (5’9/214) spent five years at Texas Tech. He was a backup for two seasons before working his way into a 1A role as a junior. Brooks took over the entirety of the Red Raiders’ backfield in 2023 and broke out with 290 carries for 1,538 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 286/1,505/17 statline in 2024 was more of the same but featured an extra seven touchdowns in two fewer games. He also caught 28 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown. Brooks used his 31.4 BMI as a battering ram, totaling 13 games with 25-plus carries and 18 contests with 20-plus attempts over the past two seasons, both of which led all FBS backs. A 4.52 Forty at the Combine isn’t something to write home about but gives him adequate NFL speed and matches his modest breakaway ability on tape. Brooks is a body-blows runner who can be used on passing downs if needed. He could mix in for rookie-year short-yardage or change-of-pace handles in the Bengals’ thin backfield. He’s not a bad Dynasty stash.