The good news for the Cincinnati Bengals is that they're coming off a 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The bad news? In that win, they were without the services of running back Zack Moss, who missed the game because of a potential neck injury that came up on Thursday night before Week 9.
That was bad news, and the bad news became even worse on Monday when head coach Zac Taylor announced that Moss would be out indefinitely with the neck injury.
That's a tough break for the Bengals and Moss. Cincy gave Moss a two-year deal worth $8 million this past offseason, and he's become an integral part of the Bengals' offense alongside fellow running back, second-year player Chase Brown. Through eight games, Moss has notched 74 carries for 242 yards and two touchdowns. He's also gotten involved with Joe Burrow and the passing game, snagging 23 receptions for 187 yards and a touchdown.
With Moss being out indefinitely and Brown being banged up with a rib injury, the Bengals should look to the trade market to try to boost their backfield. At 4-5 and looking up to the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers and 6-3 Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North standings, the Bengals can't afford to stand pat even though Brown looked good in a featured role (he had 27 carries for 120 yards with a receiving touchdown against the Raiders).
“[We're] going through the process of seeing what's available, seeing where we can help ourselves in all areas, and we'll go from there,” Taylor told the media on Monday when asked if the team would trade for a running back, according to ESPN.
As such, here are three running back targets the Bengals must consider.
Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are 2-7. They're on a two-game losing streak, and with the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and Houston Texans coming up, there's a real chance they start December at 2-10. This is a franchise that should be in fire sale mode, and that helps the Bengals because running back Travis Etienne Jr. could end up being available.
Etienne has become the second rusher in Jacksonville's backfield to Tank Bigsby. Bigsby has a bit more “juice” at this juncture, and he has two years left on his deal after 2024 compared to Etienne's club option in 2025.
With that said, Etienne has still rushed 59 times for 254 yards and two touchdowns, and like Moss, he can be impactful as a receiver out of the backfield.
If the Bengals don't touch his contract, he could be a solid short-term rental, and if he's worth the club option in 2025, that's even better.
Devin Singletary, New York Giants
It seems like he just came into the league, but Devin Singletary is already a six-year pro. He never lived up to the hype as a third-round pick for the Buffalo Bills in 2019, but he has made a solid career for himself. He has 4,332 career yards and 22 career rushing touchdowns, and he's also a receiver, with 1,251 yards and four touchdowns through the air to his name in six seasons.
The Giants are 2-7, and much like the Jaguars, they should be entering fire sale mode. Rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr. has been a revelation as of late with 413 yards and two touchdowns over the Giants' past five games, so New York should be willing to part with Singletary. The bonus for the Giants is they can shed the rest of Singletary's three-year, $16.5 million contract, but for the Bengals, it's also appealing because there's a potential out after 2025 that would lead to just a $1.25 million dead cap hit should they choose to part ways.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
Chuba Hubbard has rushed 133 times this season for 665 yards and five touchdowns. His yardage total is fifth best in all the NFL behind only Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Jordan Mason. That's very good company, and Hubbard is only 25 years old, so why would the Carolina Panthers trade him away?
Yes, he's one of their only bright spots in an otherwise 2-7 season (for instance, he rushed for two touchdowns in Carolina's win over the New Orleans Saints), but he's also in the final year of his contract with the Panthers. If they don't re-sign him before the start of the 2025 NFL calendar year, then they'll likely lose him for nothing in free agency. The Panthers are once again likely looking at a full teardown since Bryce Young is clearly not the answer.
Even if the Bengals offer them a fifth-round pick or later for Hubbard, that will be worth it for both parties.
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