The Cincinnati Bengals have had some unexpected injuries after practice this season, with running back Zack Moss the latest victim. Moss went down before the team’s Week 9 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, leaving the Bengals short-handed at running back.
What’s the latest on Moss’ condition and a potential return to play?
What Is Zack Moss’ Injury?
Zack Moss was added to the Bengals’ injury report on Friday before Week 9 with a neck injury. Moss was later downgraded from doubtful to out and did not play in the 41-24 win over the Raiders.
Zack Moss shows up out of nowhere with a neck injury and ruled doubtful. That’s a surprise. pic.twitter.com/WdfSP4WfFD
— Paul Dehner Jr. (@pauldehnerjr) November 1, 2024
It’s unclear what the exact nature of Moss’ neck injury is, as well as if it was suffered in practice or a pre-existing issue that was only discovered at that point.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said, “Bengals running back Zack Moss (neck) is getting a second opinion from Dr. Robert Watkins, a renowned spine specialist. A source said that while Moss is unlikely to return to action in 2024, surgery is not deemed necessary at this point.”
When Will Moss Return From Injury?
Unfortunately, Moss may be done for the 2024 NFL season. NFL Network’s Mika Garafolo reported before Week 10 that Moss is expected to miss the rest of the regular season.
Context on the #Bengals trading for Khalil Herbert from @gmfb: RB Zack Moss is expected to miss at least the rest of the regular season with a neck injury, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. pic.twitter.com/9QaWl6js8d
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 5, 2024
More specifically, Garafolo noted that Moss will need two months of rest before re-evaluation. Given that he would also need to physically ramp back up even if cleared, a playoff return also feels like a stretch.
His absence explains the Bengals’ trade deadline acquisition of running back Khalil Herbert. The fourth-year back was buried on the Chicago Bears’ backfield depth chart but has a career average of 4.8 yards per rush over 372 carries.
How Will Moss’ Absence Impact the Bengals?
While losing depth is never a good thing, the reality is that the Bengals’ offense had moved on from Moss already. Chase Brown shined in the bellcow role vs. the Raiders, posting a career-high 120 rush yards on 27 carries plus five catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.
Chase Brown was able to be a true "feature back" today against the Raiders because Zack Moss was out with an injury.
The Bengals had one of their most effective games out of their backfield.
I asked Chase Brown if getting more snaps had anything to do with his success. He… pic.twitter.com/T5FolqENld
— Marshall Kramsky (@marshallkramsky) November 4, 2024
Moss out-snapped Brown each of the first six weeks, but things flipped in Week 7. Overall, Brown has been significantly more efficient than Moss, producing 4.6 yards per rush compared to 3.3 for Moss.
Herbert may assume a smaller role than what Moss had as the No. 2 back. From Weeks 6-8, Moss still played a healthy 49% of the snaps, compared to 56% for Brown. It’s fair to expect something closer to a 60-40 or 65-35 split with Herbert coming as a midseason arrival.
The good news for fantasy football managers is that neither should be totally game script-dependent. Brown has played almost an exact, even 50/50 split between dropbacks and designed runs this season. For Herbert, 52% of his career snaps have come on dropbacks. Thus, both are fairly interchangeable as either an early-down or passing-down back.
Overall, expect a fairly clear hierarchy with Brown as the top back, but with Herbert seeing a meaningful share of snaps as his backup.