Cincinnati Bengals · 2026
Who is Chase Brown’s handcuff?
Explore the full Cincinnati Bengals depth chart, player roles and draft history
The published backfield pick
Samaje Perine
Behind Chase Brown · CIN
Samaje Perine is the preferred candidate in the published analysis, but this backfield has committee uncertainty. An absence may spread work across more than one player.
Perine is the dated-chart RB2 and the trusted veteran behind Brown.
Handcuff score
Backup opportunity, not projected points or an injury probability.
Analysis published . Status and role notes reflect that board.
Check official availability and your league’s transaction rules before adding.
If Chase Brown misses time
Ourlads' chart explicitly updated Sept. 8 lists Chase Brown, Samaje Perine, then Tahj Brooks. The Bengals' June position primer also says Perine figures to lead the group behind Brown, while the official Sept. 11 injury report lists no Bengals running back, supporting current availability without treating roster presence alone as game-day activation. This is a deviation from the deterministic Tahj Brooks choice.
Current dated ordering points to Perine. Cincinnati's Friday injury report contains no running back designation, and the club's role preview identifies Perine as the leader behind Brown.
Veteran passing-down back and trusted blocker, valuable to the Bengals for protection and check-downs. At 30 he is not a 15-carry answer; Cincinnati would be in trouble on early downs if Brown missed extended time.
- availability_unverified
- close_scores
- stale_availability
- deterministic-deviation
- veteran-specialist
- role-split-risk
Why this candidate scores here
Other candidates in this backfield
Tahj Brooks
early down · score 56/100
Candidates and scores are from the same published board. A split workload can limit the upside of any one backup.
The production behind the names
2025 regular season. Recorded production, not a projection. A missing stat line is not a zero.
| Player | Games with stats | Carries | Receptions | Total yards | PPR / game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 232 | 69 | 1456 | 16.6 |
| 15 | 84 | 17 | 469 | 5.2 |
Carries + receptions, last 6 recorded games in 2025
Carries + receptions, last 6 recorded games in 2025
Totals include all teams played for that season. Per-game averages use games with recorded stats. Source: nflverse player statistics.
Sources behind the analysis
- Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart
- Week 1 Injury Report | Buccaneers vs Bengals
- 2026 Position Primer: Running Backs
Published analysis may use automated research. How evidence and recommendations are handled.
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