After meeting with new Bengals Ring of Honor member James Brooks during a special teams portion of Thursday's training camp practice, Chase Brown, their current double-trouble running back, sized him up.

"It looks like he can still play," Brown said of the 67-year-old Brooks. "He was talking about how being physical is a mentality, and he carried that chip on his shoulder. And it was funny because I couldn't agree with him more. I mean, I carry the same thing on my shoulder.

"Playing hard and playing physical is a mindset and it doesn't really matter how much you weigh or how tall you are. End of the day, it's about what you do on the field. And we were both quick enough and physical enough, and we had success in this league."

Brown, of course, wants to have even more success than last season's 1,400-plus yards from scrimmage, the fifth Bengals back to hit the number. All 5-10, 210 pounds of him.

So much success that he thinks it would be cool to one day have a season of 1,000 yards rushing and 800 yards receiving. Just by chance, that would be more than Brooks' iconic 1,773 scrimmage yards from scrimmage in 1986, still the biggest season by any Bengal, 33 yards more than Ja’Marr Chase’s triple crown season of a few years ago.

Brown doesn't think 80 catches is out of the question. After last season's 67 set the club record for running backs, a record the 5-10, 180-pound Brooks held from Boomer Esiason (1985) to Andy Dalton (2013), anything is possible in a Zac Taylor-Joe Burrow offense.

"Tell Burrow to throw it to you more," Brooks told Brown.

Before they chatted Thursday, Brooks perked up when he heard Brown trains exclusively in the offseason in Atlanta as a wide receiver.

"If I do the same thing a receiver does, that makes me better. A complete back. I want to be a complete back. That puts pressure on the defense," Brooks said. "We're complete backs. We do everything."

Brooks recalled head coach Sam Wyche having faith in him at any spot. Fast forward 40 years later after a practice, and Brown recalled an early exit interview with Taylor.

"He talked about how he needed me to get better at catching the ball, and he needed me to be more reliable on third down," Brown said. "And I really took a lot of pride in that after he said that and being able to build a career kind of off being reliable and being able to execute."

Brooks, an artist at picking up the blitz, intently studied running backs coach Justin Hill working a sled with Brown and left impressed with both

"If I saw something he was doing wrong, I would say something to him," Brooks said. "He's doing everything the coach is telling him to do. You can't ask for more than that. People like that, you can't ask for a better guy. Because you're putting your time in.  If you put your time in, you will get better."

Brown smiled about talking to Burrow.

"Camp is one thing," Brown said. "But once the games come around, Joe's going to know where I am. We made some plays last year."

Brown made another play Thursday.

"I just wanted (Brooks) to know at the end of that conversation that I want to congratulate him on the Ring of Honor and that he has a lot of influence in this locker room and our running back room," Brown said. "Still has influence on Bengals football. I just wanted to let him know how I felt about that."

Consider it done.

Player of the Day

WR Andrei Iosivas

Iosivas' climb back from a tough 2025 continues. He caught a bunch of different routes with the emphasis on "catch," but it's how he has been doing it that has impressed offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher. Iosivas, who ripped off 40 yards in 4.43 seconds at his scouting combine, may be gaining.

"He's playing with confidence, and he's playing fast. He looks really fast," Pitcher said. "He's been fast, but he's playing really fast. Taking advantage of the opportunities that come his way. Even plays he hasn't been targeted, he's had some really good releases  where he separated from bump man."

After his five-drop season, Iosivas is staying true to his offseason vow.

"I just want to play and have fun. That's my biggest thing," Iosivas said Thursday. "Just out there having fun, not caring about anything. Just going."

Play of the Day

LB Demetrius Knight Jr.

Everybody has seen it. Everybody sees it when Burrow gets picked off. Knight did it in teamwork when he undercut through a zone and was in the right place, right time when a blitz from his buddy Barrett Carter at the other backer hurried Burrow.

This is why the Bengals didn't nab a linebacker early in free agency and why they aren't bringing in a vet now. Defensive coordinator Al Golden made it clear in the offseason that he believes the growing pains Knight and Carter suffered through during last year's rookie seasons are going to pay off with two productive, reliable backers.

Even Knight had to smile when someone observed the difference is day and night.

Pardon the pun.

He never got Burrow last year, although he does recall tipping a pass caught by cornerback Dax Hill. No way, he says, he could have made this play on Burrow last year on Day Two.

"Definitely night and day," Knight said. "It's going to be extremely influential to have a year under your belt to help you grow. I know Coach Al and (linebackers coach Mike) Hodges have said it. Man, what a difference a year makes. We completely agree.

"We came in a year ago at this time just trying to do our jobs. Trying to get from Point A to Point B. Now we're able to go into the levels and do C, D and all that good stuff."

Quote of the Day

"I thought it was like Rookie of the Year (the movie) when he fell on his arm, only it went right to my brain."

Bengals tight end Erick All Jr., explaining how confidence in his injured knee soared when he survived getting hit by a moped during a vacation in Athens a few weeks ago.

He's not throwing 100 miles per hour like Henry Rowengartner, but his mind is going that fast, and taking that hit convinced him that the severe ACL injury that robbed him of half of his rookie year and all of last year is truly behind him.

All floored the Bengals media contingent after Thursday's practice with the story of a hit-and-run that seemingly translates to run after catch. That was an All strength in 2024 when he was headed to everyone's all-rookie team before the blowout.

His biggest strength, as a moped driver in Greece knows, is blocking. And he seems more than ready, even though when the pads come on Monday he'll be limited to how much work he can do.

"Just the opposite," said All, when asked if he's thinking about the knee.

Instead, he says the coaches have to tell him to slow down.

"They're telling me, 'We have three weeks of this.'"

Slants and Screens

The Bengals may be lining up rookie edge rusher Cashius Howell at linebacker at times, and he took a seven-on-seven snap Thursday before jogging back to the defensive line.

But, don't kid yourself. Howell, the Bengals' first draft pick and reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Year, is here to rush the passer. And that's what he did Thursday when he got to backup quarterback Joe Flacco for a sack.

The play didn't take away from wide receiver Charlie Jones’ marvelous all-out diving catch on a patented Flacco rainbow, but it shows you how quickly Howell is catching on. He showed good use of his hands to win at the line of scrimmage on the blitz.

"It's a coverage where I'm supposed to simulate like I'm out in coverage," Howell said. "At the snap, we're supposed to time it up and blitz off the edge. Just a mind game you have to play with the quarterback." …

By the way, Jones is having a heck of a camp catching the ball from Flacco. Jones apparently got the message from special teams coordinator Darrin Simmons that there is a fight for the returner job with fellow wide receiver Ke’Shawn Williams. Nothing, especially the return game, is decided until the preseason games. But Jones is showing out from scrimmage …

Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen didn't work Thursday. It looks to be part of a plan to rotate the vet D-linemen …