Every season, there seems to be one player that suddenly breaks out and becomes a key contributor for a talented team. Some of them come from nowhere (think Geno Smith last season), while some were young players that broke out after years of steady improvement. For a team like the Cincinnati Bengals, they're hoping that one of their players follows this trajectory.

But which players for the Bengals are sleeper picks to break out in the 2023 season? Cincinnati has some players that have both the opportunity and the talent to be a standout player in the league. Let's take a look at these picks.

Chase Brown, RB

The Bengals' running back situation is going to be very interesting to follow this season. The general consensus was that Joe Mixon was going to be let go by the team after his run-ins with the law and his sub-par play last season. Samaje Perine was supposed to be the successor to Mixon… until Perine bolted for the Broncos in the offseason.

Now, the Bengals are all out of options at the running back position (save for some last-minute big signing before the season starts). Cincy might try and see if they can salvage something out of Mixon: prior to last season, he was a perfectly good dual-threat option for the offense. However, if Mixon continues to underperform (3.9 yards per carry last season), Chase Brown could be someone that breaks out in a big way for Cincinnati.

Drafted in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Brown is expected to start the season behind Mixon in the Bengals' depth chart. However, that doesn't mean that Brown won't get his chances. He's likely function initially as a Perine clone as a third-down back of sorts. Brown's tools, though, could propel him to eventually become the lead running back of the team in the event that Mixon is benched and/or released. The Bengals will need him to be a vertical field spacer that can threaten defenses with menacing runs to open up their offense.

Irv Smith Jr, TE

With Joe Burrow leading the way, the Bengals' offense has been one of the best units in the league. Even with an average offensive line at best, Cincy's offense has been tearing up the league. Much has been made about Cincinnati's talented wide receiver core, and for good reason. Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd is a trio that any quarterback would dream to have.

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However, one must not discount the impact that the tight ends have had on the Bengals' offense. Back when he was in Cincinnati, CJ Uzomah served as an excellent safety valve for Joe Burrow when things go south. The string of good tight end play continued with Hayden Hurst. Hurst was a lowkey signing that worked out perfectly for the Bengals. With Burrow as his QB, the ex-Falcons TE had his second-best season in terms of statistics.

This is exactly why Irv Smith Jr is poised to have a breakout season with the Bengals in the 2023 season. Much like Hurst, Smith is coming off a down year in Minnesota where he was supplanted by TJ Hockenson. Is he going to have a 700+ yard season? No. However, based on what we've seen in the last two seasons, we can expect Smith Jr to play a much more prominent role on offense.

Chidobe Awuzie, CB

Before his injury last season, Chidobe Awuzie was poised to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He didn't rack up interceptions like the other star CBs, but he made up for it with his elite deflections and lockdown defense. He was one of the strongest parts of a secondary group that has been much-maligned over the last few season.

Unfortunately, an ACL injury prematurely ended Awuzie's season. In his absence, the Bengals was forced to field Eli Apple as a cornerback… which definitely wasn't ideal. The bright side of that injury was getting the young players like Cam Taylor-Britt more experience with their CB1 on the shelf.

With the Bengals' secondary undergoing a major revamp, Awuzie is expected to lead the charge for the defensive back unit. Cam Taylor-Britt showed flashes of his talent last season as a disruptive cornerback. Daxton Hill will man the safety positions alongside veteran Nick Scott. Still, the onus is on Awuzie to be the leader of this group. After what we saw from him last season, expect the cornerback to pick up right where he left off and continue his excellent play as a lockdown corner.