CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals are adjusting their offense in 2026 with plans to cut back on shotgun snaps and deploy running back Chase Brown more frequently across the field. At the start of training camp, quarterback Joe Burrow signaled how Brown might be used in a revamped scheme that features more snaps with Burrow under center.
Brown enters the season coming off a year in which he totaled 1,456 scrimmage yards, ranking ninth among running backs, and posted 437 receiving yards, sixth at his position. Burrow described Brown as a primary playmaker behind wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase because of his explosiveness and ability after contact, and praised his value in pass protection.
Brown has been the Bengals’ featured running back since 2024 and has shown steady development after being selected in the fifth round of the 2023 draft. Assistant running backs coach Justin Hill said the team has worked to create more opportunities to showcase Brown by moving him around the formation and using him in a variety of receiving and backfield roles, according to ESPN.
The shift toward more under-center work follows a broader effort to balance Cincinnati’s attack. The Bengals were one of the most shotgun-heavy teams last season, operating from the shotgun on 81.4 percent of snaps, per ESPN Research, but they reduced that rate as the year progressed and continued experimenting through camp and the preseason. Coach Zac Taylor said he feels good about the team’s schematic inventory and the options available to him as a playcaller.
Bengals run game coordinator James Casey noted that relying more on the run and on traditional under-center looks can help in cold-weather contests or when the passing game stalls, and can produce the explosive rushing plays the team has lacked. Casey added that Brown has the speed and strength to hit small creases and turn them into big plays. The running back also enters the season in the final year of his rookie contract.
