Who thought a sophomore RB would get as much workload as Chase Brown does? It’s not even about the workload. It’s about versatility at this point. Do you know that Chase Brown has nearly half as many receiving yards as rushing? If that doesn’t speak ‘multi-talented,’ what does? But then again, this was always the plan coach Zac Taylor had for Brown.

Zac Taylor appeared in a presser on Thursday where a reporter asked him about Chase Brown’s performance in the last 5 games. Why are those five games special? It’s the amount of receiving targets, yardage, and touchdowns. Fun fact: Brown has the same amount of receiving and rushing touchdowns in those games (2). The HC is not “surprised” by this.

“Not much different than what we suspected. This was always the intent with Chase to build up to a workload where we can just try to get him the ball in various ways. Some of it’s in the run game. Again, a lot of the pass game is just runs to us, ways to get the ball in his hand. Joe does an excellent job. If you just dial up play actions and can quickly see the defense lift and get the ball to Chase,” Zac Taylor said in the presser.

Here are Chase Brown’s rushing and receiving numbers from the past 5 games: The RB has 88 carries over 376 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. As far as reception goes, Chase has recorded 241 receiving yards and two receiving TDs over 28 receptions. This level of trust from Burrow stems from the fact that he knows his RB is a huge playmaker.

“I think Chase Brown has played a big role,” Burrow said. “Whenever he gets the ball in his hands, he makes somebody miss, creates an explosive play. He’s been unbelievable.” But that’s not to say that the Bengals are deprioritizing their receivers. In fact, Ja’Marr Chase leads the league in receptions, yards, and touchdowns so far. That’s got to count for something.

The same can be said about Tee Higgins, who’s also Joe Burrow’s top receiver. Both Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase are yet to get a renewed contract from the Cincinnati Bengals. But for some reason, the Cincy QB has been on management’s back to retain Tee Higgins.

Can Zac Taylor and Joe Burrow do without Tee Higgins?

They might! But that will make things hard for the Cincinnati franchise. Higgins has been trying to negotiate a long-term contract for the last two years. But luck hasn’t favored him. He’s playing on a one-year franchise tag right now and has missed 5 games this season. But Joe Burrow is doing everything in his power to retain his other BFF.

“I know that I’m going to do what it takes to get him back and so is he,” Burrow said. “We’ve had those talks. Those are going to be offseason discussions. But I think we’re excited about that opportunity.” So why is Joe Burrow so adamant about sticking around with Tee Higgins? Yes, productivity matters, but so do the vibes.

It’s got to do with his presence. Per the QB, Higgins’ absence affects the defense, and “even if he’s not super productive on the night, teams have to worry about him and feel his presence.” Higgins is on the same page with Burrow as he thinks maintaining relationships is important. Per Higgins, his finances are going to get sorted if he just focuses on the team.