Tahj Brooks Injury News & Updates

Brooks had a carry for one yard in Sunday's loss to the Bears, picking up his first carry and even his first offensive snap since Week 3's blowout loss to the Vikings.

This only happened due to Samaje Perine's high-ankle sprain early in the loss to the Bears. Brooks has mostly been an afterthought in his rookie season, but Perine is week-to-week, so Brooks might factor in against Pittsburgh in Week 11.

Brooks played all 12 of his snaps on special teams in Sunday's 37-24 loss to the Lions.

After drawing some positive buzz in the spring and during training camp, Brooks has been unable to find a role on offense through the first five weeks of the season after averaging just 3.5 yards per carry on 21 totes during the preseason. Though starter Chase Brown (2.5 YPC) has gotten off to a rough start to begin the campaign, veteran backup Samaje Perine has been serviceable as a change-of-pace option behind Brown and has the trust of the coaching staff for his pass-catching and pass-blocking skills. With that in mind, Brooks may have a difficult time seeing the field as a rookie unless one of Brown or Perine misses time due to an injury.

Brooks did not play a single offensive snap in Sunday's 17-16 win over the Browns.

Brooks was a complete non-factor in the Bengals' season opener, failing to earn a single touch in the contest. Instead, the rookie running back was used solely on special teams, playing a total of 12 snaps with the unit. With Chase Brown taking the majority of snaps on offense and Samaje Perine operating as the team's No. 2 option, Brooks faces an uphill battle for playing time barring injuries. The Texas Tech product's next opportunity to get involved will come when the Bengals host the Jaguars in Week 2.

Brooks took 11 carries for 47 yards and caught three of four targets for nine yards in a 31-17 preseason win at Washington on Monday.

The rookie sixth-round pick had 10 carries for 26 yards and one catch for three yards in the preseason opener, coming in after Chase Brown and Samaje Perine. It was a similar story Monday, with Brown taking five carries on the first drive and then calling it a night. Brooks first entered midway through the first quarter and ended up playing well into the third quarter before handing things over to Kendall Milton. Brooks appears on track for a Week 1 roster spot, and while he may not initially have a role in the gameplan, he'll be needed if Brown misses time.

Brooks took 10 carries for 26 yards and caught one of two targets for three yards in Thursday's preseason loss to the Eagles.

Chase Brown played 11 of 15 snaps for the first-team offense, with Samaje Perine taking the other four snaps but not getting any touches. Neither appeared to play at all thereafter, leaving Brooks in a three-down role for much of the game, getting snaps and touches well into the fourth quarter before Gary Brightwell took over at the end. Brooks didn't find much room to run, with his best play of the night arguably being a touchdown-saving tackle after an interception. The rookie sixth-round pick nonetheless has every chance to earn a Week 1 roster spot, as the Bengals don't have much of note in the backfield beyond Brown and Perine. Even the No. 3 RB role might put Brooks an injury away from fantasy value, seeing as Perine has largely been a passing-down specialist in the NFL.

Brooks has clearer path to backfield work behind starter Chase Brown and Samaje Perine in the wake of Cincinnati releasing Zack Moss (neck) on Wednesday, Kelly Singh of SI.com reports.

Brooks, a rookie sixth-round pick, has reportedly put together a strong start to training camp and impressed in the receiving game, per WLWT's Jaron May. With a capable veteran such as Moss around as a No. 3 option, Brooks' path to touches nonetheless looked murky, as Brown figures to dominate opportunities while Perine is a proven change-of-pace contributor. Will Moss no a free agent, however, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 reports that Brooks has become the clear No. 3 running back. If the rookie can continue to compile momentum throughout training camp, it's conceivable he could challenge Perine for the backup role.

Brooks is making a strong impression with his pass-catching skills in practices, WLWT's Jaron May reports.

Bengals HC Zac Taylor and OC Dan Pitcher both praised Brooks for his pass-catching ability during the offseason program. It now seems to be carrying over to training camp, where Brooks caught three passes in the first set of full-team drills Friday. The rookie sixth-round pick is expected to compete with Zack Moss (neck) and Samaje Perine for the second and third spots on the depth chart behind returning starter Chase Brown. The praise for Brooks' pass catching is perhaps unexpected, as he had just 548 receiving yards and two TDs in five seasons at Texas Tech, compared to 4,557 yards and 45 scores on the ground. The Bengals curiously list him at 5-foot-10, 230 pounds, which is 16 pounds above his weight from the 2025 Combine (where he ran a 4.52 40).

The Bengals selected Brooks in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 193rd overall.

Brooks was a four-year starter at Texas Tech, breaking the school record with 4,560 career rushing yards while posting back-to-back 1,500-yard seasons in his junior and sophomore seasons. He's a compact back with a 5-foot-9, 214-pound frame, and his tempo and vision allows him to navigate through defenses to pick up tough yards. Though he's not the fastest back in the draft, Brooks displayed his quickness at the 2025 NFL Combine with a 4.06-second shuttle time and 6.90-second three-cone time. Chase Brown (ankle) and Zack Moss (neck) are the Bengals' top two running backs, but Brooks will have a shot to compete against veteran Samaje Perine for the No. 3 job.