The Cincinnati Bengals have their starting running back for the 2025 NFL season in Chase Brown, who is coming off of a breakout campaign in 2024 in which he ran for 990 yards and seven touchdowns.

But, while Brown will be the starter, the Bengals could still look to bolster the backfield over the offseason. They brought back veteran Samaje Perine for his third stint with the team, but they could also look to add to the position group via the draft or free agency.

Given their need for additional backfield depth, the Bengals were recently listed by RotoBaller as a logical spot for four-time Pro Bowl back Nick Chubb, who has played the entirety of his career with the rival Cleveland Browns to this point.

RotoBaller lists Bengals as a logical destination for Nick Chubb

Chubb returned to action last season after missing over a year with a serious knee injury, and unfortunately he broke his foot toward the end of the ’24 campaign. Now, he’s a free agent and looking for a new NFL home.

More Cincinnati Bengals news: Bengals listed among teams with most work to do ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

Given age and injury issues, Chubb probably isn’t the same back that he once was when he recorded four straight 1,000-plus yard seasons from 2019 to 2022, but he could still be a productive player and a solid supplement to Cincinnati’s backfield.

From RotoBaller:

“Chubb could work well in tandem with Brown provided the former is now fully recovered from his 2023 knee injury. Cleveland’s former RB1 wouldn’t operate as a lead back here, but he could have some fantasy value if the Bengals don’t add another running back in the NFL Draft.

“That seems unlikely, but Cincinnati does have other needs to address on this roster. They might use their draft capital to fix those issues and look to fill out the running back room in free agency.”

The idea of Cincinnati adding another back in free agency isn’t crazy, but it remains to be seen if that would be Chubb. The Bengals could also select a running back in the 2025 NFL Draft, as NFL insider Matthew Berry thinks they will.

Either way, it seems likely that the Bengals will add to the backfield in one way or another before the start of the ’25 season.

Bengals, Miami University Honor Coaching Traditions With New Educational Partnership

The Cincinnati Bengals have fans across the state of Ohio and now that connection will extend into the classroom. The NFL franchise and Miami University, located in Oxford, Ohio, announced an educational partnership this week.

The “ties between the Bengals and Miami already run deep” the school said in a release as Paul Brown, the founder of the team, graduated from Miami in 1930.

This new partnership will allow Miami students to access “exclusive opportunities to be involved with the Bengals” in a number of ways like internships, job shadowing, and on-campus speakers, among other opportunities.

“This partnership is an excellent way to honor the legacy of Paul Brown, a legacy that has united the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami University for years,” Miami President Gregory Crawford said in a school release. “We are extremely excited for Miami students to benefit from this unique relationship and for them to add value to a first-rate NFL organization like the Bengals.”

Honoring the Legacy of the ‘Cradle of Coaches’

Brown was also a charter member of the ‘Cradle of Coaches’ which includes John Harbaugh, Sean McVay, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and dozens of other football legends.

The Cradle of Coaches Association was established in 1971 to “acknowledge the role Miamians have played in establishing Miami University as the Cradle of Coaches”.