Chase Brown lands on IR

The Cincinnati Bengals have placed running back Chase Brown on the injured reserve list, the team announced Saturday. Chase lands on IR after suffering a hamstring injury in Thursday’s practice.

A fifth-round rookie out of Illinois, Brown has rarely seen the field this year but had been impressing in practice enough that Brian Callahan was hinting at a bigger role for the rook going forward. That’s what makes this injury even harder to stomach.

The earlier Brown can return via the IR-return designation is Week 12 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Looking ahead, the Bengals need more running back depth, which could spur them to be more active at the NFL Trade Deadline than they originally planned. They tend to be very conservative when it comes to in-season trades, but the running back position is a clear weakness that’s also lacking depth.

Hopefully, Brown will heal up and be close to 100% when he’s eligible to return to the 53-man roster.