During Week 5, the Cincinnati Bengals had their best rushing effort of the season as they ran for a season-high 117 yards in the team’s victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Coincidentally, that came as the Bengals gave more carries to backup running back Samaje Perine, who led the team with 14 rushing attempts. Meanwhile, Chase Brown finished with fewer rushing attempts than Perine for the first time all season.
The move came as the Bengals shifted away from their preseason plans of going under center and went back to running more plays out of the shotgun formation. Amid Brown’s reduced role, one Bengals analyst believes the team should add a former Pro Bowl running back who might be on the trade block.
Cincinnati Bengals Pushed to Trade for Former Pro Bowl Running Back
Bengals Wire’s Chris Roling noted that the Cincinnati Bengals currently have a running back issue, and adding a player like Titans running back Tony Pollard would help.
Roling wrote: “There are problems on the Bengals roster right now. Linebacker seems to have the backing of the coaching staff no matter what. But safety next to Bryan Cook is another sour point. There’s also running back as an issue.
Fixing running back during the break would probably be the cheapest and most seamless.
It helps that a name like Tony Pollard might be available, too.
The Titans probably won’t be able to ask for much for a 29-year-old running back, given the background information. But last year over 17 games, he rushed for 1,082 yards and five scores on a 4.5 average, plus caught 33 passes. There’s appeal there.
For the Bengals, this would be about strengthening the rotation. They’re going away from under-center work. The offense is far better rushing right now when it’s Samaje Perine, not Chase Brown, carrying the ball.
On paper, adding another back like Pollard to the mix will keep Perine fresh, Brown a gadget receiver and otherwise while boosting overall performance and, hopefully, helping the offense finally discover some explosives on the ground.”
Tony Pollard’s Status
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox included Pollard among players who might be on the trade block heading into Week 6 of the NFL season.
Regarding Pollard, Knox wrote: “Tennessee isn’t going to the playoffs this season, and it should be focused on getting more out of Ward before the end of the year. While keeping starting running back Tony Pollard would help support Ward, though, it may be time to move him.
The Titans are playing for their future, and the 29-year-old isn’t likely to be a part of it. He’s set to be a free agent in the spring, and trading him would save $7.3 million in cap space.
Trading Pollard would also likely bring back additional draft capital.”
Pollard has totaled over $35 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac. Cincinnati currently ranks in the bottom 10 in rushing yards per game. Perhaps adding a player like Pollard could help solve some of Cincinnati’s running back issues. Entering the 2026 season, Pollard had four consecutive seasons with more than 1,000 rushing yards.
Bengals Pushed to Trade for $35 Million Pro Bowl RB Amid Chase Brown Struggles