Brown emerged as a dynamic and versatile contributor in the Bengals' offense during his sophomore season in 2024 ... His 1350 yards from scrimmage (990 rushing, 360 receiving) ranked 17th in the NFL, and included a streak of five straight games with 100 or more from Weeks 11-16 ... Has 12 total TDs (seven rushing, five receiving) in 28 career regular-season games ... The Bengals' fifth-round draft pick in 2023, he registered 335 scrimmage yards in his rookie season, with 322 coming over the final six contests ... Known for his explosive burst out of the backfield, he also has returned nine kickoffs in his career for 230 yards (25.6 average) ... A native of London, Ontario (Canada), he posted back-to-back 1000-yard rushing campaigns at the University of Illinois in 2021 and '22 ... Twin brother, Sydney Brown, plays safety for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Selected by Cincinnati in fifth round of 2023 NFL Draft (163rd overall) ... Signed by Bengals on 5-12-23.
2023—Played in 12 games in rookie season ... Inactive for season opener, and spent four games (Games 7-10) on Reserve/Injured list due to a hamstring injury ... Rushed for 179 yards on 44 attempts, and caught 14 passes for 156 yards and a TD ... 322 of his 335 scrimmage yards came in final six games ... Also played 160 special teams snaps, and had two KORs for 44 yards in season finale vs. Cleveland ... Made NFL debut on Sept. 17 vs. Baltimore ... Returned from Reserve/Injured for Game 12 vs. Pittsburgh ... In first extended action on Dec. 4 at Jacksonville, rushed for 61 yards on nine carries, including season-long 31-yarder in third quarter ... Scored first career TD on Dec. 10 vs. Indianapolis, taking a screen pass 54 yards to end zone in first quarter; Per NFL's Next Gen Stats, his top speed on TD was 22.05 mph, the second-fastest by any ball carrier in 2023 regular season (Seattle WR DK Metcalf, 22.23 mph) ... Finished Colts game with 105 scrimmage yards (25 rushing, 80 receiving) ... Had season-high 11 rushes for 43 yards on Jan. 7 vs. Cleveland, with 27-yard run in third quarter.
2024—Played in 16 games with 10 starts at HB ... Inactive for season finale at Pittsburgh due to ankle injury ... Rushed for 990 yards on 229 attempts with seven TDs ... Caught 54 passes for 360 yards and four TDs, and had seven KORs for 186 yards (26.6 average) ... His 1350 yards from scrimmage ranked 15th among all NFL running backs (17th among all players) ... Averaged 8.9 yards per carry (seven for 62) on Sept. 23 vs. Washington, and returned four kickoffs for 106 yards (long of 29) ... Scored first two career rushing TDs on Sept. 29 at Carolina, a three-yarder in first quarter and one-yarder in third quarter; finished game with 80 rushing yards on 15 carries ... Scored game-sealing 30-yard rushing TD late in fourth quarter on Oct. 13 at the N.Y. Giants ... On Nov. 3 vs. Las Vegas, recorded career highs in carries (27), rushing yards (120) and scrimmage yards (157), and got Bengals on board with one-yard TD catch in opening quarter ... Had career-high nine receptions for 52 yards on Nov. 7 at Baltimore, and opened scoring with one-yard rushing TD in first quarter ... Posted 143 scrimmage yards (86 rushing, 57 receiving) on Nov. 17 at the L.A. Chargers, including season-long 34-yard reception to start game-tying TD drive in fourth quarter ... Surpassed 1000 scrimmage yards on the season on Dec. 9 at Dallas, and had 19-yard TD catch to give Bengals lead in second quarter; finished Cowboys game with 123 scrimmage yards (58 rushing, 65 receiving) ... Rushed 25 times for 97 yards on Dec. 15 at Tennessee, and had first career game with both a rushing and receiving TD ... Reached 100 scrimmage yards for fifth straight game with 109 on Dec. 22 vs. Cleveland (91 rushing, 18 receiving) ... Had 67 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards (91 total) on Dec. 28 vs. Denver, before exiting game late in fourth quarter with ankle injury ... Posted at least 90 scrimmage yards in eight straight games (Games 9-16), becoming first Bengals player to do so since FB Boobie Clark (eight-game streak in 1973).
Spent final four seasons (2019-22) at Illinois, after beginning career at Western Michigan ('18) ... Played in 34 games with 27 starts for the Fighting Illini, totaling 3206 rushing yards on 605 carries with 18 TDs ... Also caught 48 passes for 446 yards and three TDs, and had five KORs for 77 yards ... Rushed for over 1000 yards in each of final two seasons ... In 2022, named second-team All-American (AP) and became Illinois' first ever finalist for Doak Walker Award (awarded to nation's top running back) ... Ranked fourth in nation in rushing yards (1643) in '22.
Hometown is London, Ontario (Canada) ... Attended Saint Stephen's Episcopal School in Bradenton, Fla., where he finished his career as the school's all-time leading rusher ... Rushed for 1508 yards on 98 carries (15.9 avg.) and 27 TDs as a senior in 2017, earning second-team all-state honors ... Also lettered in track and field ... Anchored the state-champion 400-meter relay and holds school record in the 100-meter dash ... Communication major at Illinois ... Twin brother, Sydney Brown, also played at Illinois and currently plays safety with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last Updated February 2025
