Cincinnati released Moss (neck) on Wednesday.
Moss, who sustained a serious season-ending neck injury in 2024, was present for OTAs but then opened training camp on the active/non-football injury list. The move will open up roster space for Trey Hendrickson, who is expected to report to camp Wednesday, to be reinstated from the reserve/did not report list. Moss's release also makes logistical sense for the Bengals' backfield, which figures to heavily feature Chase Brown while rotating Samaje Perine in for change-of-pace reps, with rookie sixth-round pick Tahj Brooks in the No. 3 role. Moss, for his part, isn't far removed from his breakout 2023 campaign with Indianapolis and should be able to resurface as a contributor elsewhere in the league, as long as he's able to get fully healthy.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Continues to work on conditioning
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Moss (neck), who remains on the active/non-football injury list, has been working on his conditioning on side fields during training camp, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
The report also notes that Moss, who last saw game action Oct. 27 of last year, subsequently learned at the start of November that his neck was broken in three places (on his C6 vertebrae), which resulted in the running back spending the next two months in a neck brace. Moss didn't need surgery to address the issue and instead allowed the injury to heal on its own. Though he was cleared from his neck injury in the spring, Dehner notes that conditioning has been a significant issue for the 27-year-old due to a lack of activity following his injury. While Moss remains away from practice, Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks and Gary Brightwell are in contention for slotting behind top running back Chase Brown.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Placed on NFI list
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The Bengals placed Moss (neck) on the active/non-football injury list Tuesday.
Moss was able to take the field during the Bengals' OTAs, but as Ben Baby of ESPN.com notes, the running back is bouncing back from a season-ending neck injury. Once he's ready to resume practice, Moss can be activated from the NFL list, but for now Samaje Perine, Tahj Brooks, Gary Brightwell, Kendall Milton and Quali Conley are available to compete for slotting behind top back Chase Brown.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Good to go at OTAs
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Moss (neck) participated in the Bengals' opening session of OTAs on Tuesday, Albert Cesare of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports
Moss signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Bengals last offseason and reworked the deal in April to add guaranteed money for the 2025 campaign, which the contract did not previously include. That positions him to kick off Week 1 as one of the top backups to Chase Brown alongside free-agency signing Samaje Perine, a role that Moss looks increasingly secure in with Cincinnati's only backfield addition in the 2025 NFL Draft having been Tahj Brooks in the sixth round. Moss looked uninspiring across his eight appearances last season, logging 74 carries for 242 yard (3.3 YPC) and two scores before landing on IR with a neck injury. The 27-year-old nonetheless seems the favorite to earn the top reserve role behind Brown, but he will have to show some signs of increased efficiency to insulate his role against pressure from Perine and/or Brooks.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Gains security with reworked deal
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The Bengals and Moss (neck) agreed to terms on a reworked contract Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Moss signed a two-year, $8 million deal with Cincinnati last offseason, but it didn't include any guaranteed money beyond 2024. While he kicked off last year as the Bengals' starting running back, he eventually ceded reps to second-year pro Chase Brown (ankle) and then was shut down after Week 8 due to a neck injury. With guaranteed money included in the reworked contract, there's a sense that Moss is making good progress in his recovery, and assuming he's good to go by Week 1 of the upcoming campaign, he and Samaje Perine will be the primary reserve RB options behind Brown.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Ruled out for Week 9
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The Bengals downgraded Moss (neck) from doubtful to out for Sunday's game against the Raiders.
Moss will miss his first game of the season after he was a late addition to the Bengals' Week 9 injury report due to the neck issue, which kept him from practicing Friday. His absence for Sunday's contest leaves Chase Brown in line to operate as Cincinnati's clear lead back, while Trayveon Williams and practice-squad call-up Kendall Milton are on hand to provide depth behind Brown. Moss will have limited time to heal up if he hopes to avoid another missed game, as the Bengals will travel to Baltimore for a Thursday night contest in Week 10.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Clear second fiddle again Sunday
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Moss rushed five times for 11 yards and secured all four targets for 28 yards in the Bengals' 37-17 loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
Moss was seven carries behind backfield mate Chase Brown, although he was more involved in the passing game than the latter. Moss's reception total tied for his second highest of the season, and he now has a 7-61 line through the air on seven targets over the last two games. Moss projects for another hard-to-trust complementary role during a Week 9 home matchup against the Raiders.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Works as backup
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Moss rushed the ball six times for seven yards in Sunday's 21-14 win over the Browns. He added three receptions on three targets for 33 yards.
Moss seemed to lose his grip on the lead-back role in Cincinnati after losing a fumble in the third quarter of the team's Week 6 win. That was confirmed in Week 7, as Chase Brown saw 17 touches to Moss's nine. Positively, Moss was strong as a pass catcher, highlighted by receptions of 19 and 10 yards.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Clear after full practice
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Moss (foot) practiced fully Friday and doesn't have a designation for Sunday's game at the Giants.
Earlier Friday, coach Zac Taylor told Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site that both Moss and fellow RB Chase Brown (quadricep) were good to go for Week 6 action. Having said that, Moss avoided a designation entirely on Friday's practice report, while Brown was listed as questionable after logging a second consecutive limited session. If Brown is at all inhibited this weekend, Moss could take on a bit more work than normal, which has amounted to 14.4 touches for 67 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring three TDs through five contests this season.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Limited in return to practice
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Moss (foot) returned to a limited practice Thursday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.
Moss was unable to practice Wednesday, so his capped session a day later bodes well for his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Giants. Meanwhile, fellow RB Chase Brown (quadricep) was added to Cincinnati's injury report after being deemed limited Thursday. Friday's final Week 6 report will reveal whether either running back heads into the weekend with a Week 6 designation.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Exits late with ankle issue
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Moss left Sunday's 41-38 overtime loss to the Ravens late in the fourth quarter with a right ankle injury, Jay Morrison of SI.com reports.
The running back gained 24 yards on nine carries and added 28 receiving yards on three catches (four targets) before limping off the field under his own power, and while Moss wasn't officially ruled out, he didn't get a touch in overtime. Should the injury prove to be serious, Chase Brown -- who led the Cincinnati backfield with 12 carries for 46 yards Sunday -- would be in line for a big role Week 6 against the Giants.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Moss has been great so far this season, and he's scored at least 14.1 PPR points in three of four games, including two in a row. But in Week 4 at Carolina, Chase Brown emerged as a legitimate threat to Moss' job, and it's a situation to monitor heading into Week 5 against Baltimore. Brown played a season-high 40 percent of the snaps against the Panthers, and he finished with 23.2 PPR points with 17 total touches (two catches), which was just two shy of Moss. In Week 5, both Bengals are flex options against the Ravens, who are No. 3 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Isiah Pacheco, in Week 1, is the lone running back with more than nine PPR points against Baltimore this year.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Produces off 17 touches
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Moss rushed 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown while catching five passes (on six targets) for 39 yards in Monday's 38-33 loss to Washington.
Moss put together his best game of the season on a season-high 17 combined touches in Monday's thrilling contest. The 26-year-old also produced his best game as a receiver on a night where Joe Burrow found his groove despite taking another close loss early in the schedule. Moss remains the lead back for a potent offense that may be hitting its stride as we creep towards the quarter mark of the 2024 campaign. The 2020 third-round selection remains a must-start asset in fantasy heading into Sunday's tilt against Carolina.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Sleeper RBs
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Moss remains the lead running back for the Bengals heading into Week 3 against Washington, and he should be considered a flex option in all leagues. The Commanders allowed Rachaad White to score 16.6 PPR points in Week 1, and Devin Singletary had 16.5 PPR points in Week 2. Moss played 80 percent of the snaps in Week 2 against the Chiefs compared to 20 percent for Chase Brown, and Moss had 12 carries for 34 yards and one catch for 13 yards on one target. He scored 14.1 PPR points in Week 1, and Moss could return to that level of production against Washington on Monday night. I like Moss as a flex option in all leagues.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Sleeper RBs
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Moss only had 11 total touches in Week 1 against New England, but he played the majority of the snaps ahead of Chase Brown. Moss played 65 percent of the snaps compared to 33 percent for Brown, and Moss finished with nine carries for 44 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 17 yards on four targets. We'll see if the Bengals give Moss more work in Week 2, and I would use him as a flex at Kansas City. Last week, the Chiefs allowed Derrick Henry and Justice Hill to each score at least 10.6 PPR points.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Finds end zone in team debut
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Moss rushed nine times for 44 yards and a touchdown and brought in two of four targets for 17 yards in the Bengals' 16-10 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.
There was no close split in the Bengals' backfield timeshare for Week 1, as Moss outpaced Chase Brown by six carries and 33 rushing yards. The veteran offseason addition also contributed a five-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter, and he saw his opportunities capped by a surprising game script in which Cincinnati trailed throughout. Moss's rushing touches could be limited once again in Week 2, as the Bengals will travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the defending champion Chiefs.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Primed to split touches
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Moss and Chase Brown are expected to split snaps this Sunday against New England, but they won't necessarily have predetermined roles based on situations, Paul Dehner of The Athletic reports.
In other words, it may not be a traditional early/late-down split with one running back getting most of the carries and the other dominating targets. The Bengals may instead use both backs in a variety of situations, perhaps preferring Brown's speed for some passing downs and Moss' superior blocking for others. Moss seems to be the favorite to handle short-yardage work and a majority of the other carries between the tackles, but that doesn't mean he'll dominate early down snaps in a pass-first Cincinnati offense directed by head coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow. A slightly better idea about the backfield roles should emerge after Week 1, even if fluidity throughout the season is a strong possibility.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Dealing with illness
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Moss didn't play in Saturday's preseason loss to the Buccaneers due to an illness, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
According to coach Zac Taylor, Moss became sick Friday night, so the Bengals exercised caution with their top running back as they kicked off exhibition season. Chase Brown, Moss's primary competition for RB reps, didn't fare too well Saturday, notching five carries for 10 yards while catching his only target for no yards. Moss will aim to get healthy ahead of next Saturday's preseason contest at Chicago.
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Bengals' Zack Moss: Heading to Cincy
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Moss agreed to terms on a two-year, $8 million contract with the Bengals on Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Moss vaults to the No. 1 spot on the running back depth chart for Cincinnati, as the team also released Joe Mixon on Monday. The 26-year-old is cashing in after an impressive showing during Jonathan Taylor's absence from the Colts last season. Moss finished the 2023 campaign with a career-high 794 yards and five touchdowns on the ground to go along with 192 yards and two touchdowns across 27 receptions.
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Colts' Zack Moss: Interested in re-signing
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Moss said Tuesday that he would be interested in re-signing with the Colts this offseason, Nate Atkins of The Indianapolis Star reports.
The 2020 third-round draft pick enjoyed a mini-breakout in the final year of his rookie contract, making eight starts for an Indianapolis offense that didn't have Jonathan Taylor in Weeks 1 through 4 and 13 through 15. Taylor's absences allowed Moss to set career highs for snaps, carries, targets, rushing yards and touchdowns, though the 26-year-old finished out his season with only six touches on 11 snaps in a 23-19 loss to the Texans in Week 18 while Taylor took on 32 touches for 196 yards across 51 snaps. It's hard to say if free agency will offer Moss a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere, but he would have to settle for a clear reserve role if he returns to Indianapolis and if Taylor is healthy to begin the 2024 season.
