After being sidelined with a neck injury for the second half of the 2024-25 season, Cincinnati Bengals running back Zack Moss faced a difficult decision.
The 27-year-old had to weigh the future of his career against the risks of returning to the field. According to The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr., Moss even spoke with Bengals head coach Zac Taylor about the ‘scary’ situation and the possibility of retirement.
“Like I told coach Taylor, if I wanted to be done, I could have stayed at home and not left my wife and two kids by herself,” Moss said. “I could have made that call and called it a day. My intention is to be here, to do what I have to do rehab-wise and then go from there. Wherever it is at, make a decision from there. That’s all I can do.”
Entering his sixth NFL campaign, Moss has rushed for 2,318 yards and 16 touchdowns with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Bengals.
Bengals Reworked Moss’ Contract In April
The Bengals and Moss agreed to a pay cut this offseason, reducing his salary from $3.5 million to $1.8 million.
“Some people make things difficult,” Moss said. “I didn’t. I didn’t partake in that. We did what we thought was best at that moment in time and called it a day and move on from that point.”
He reported to Bengals training camp, but was placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury list on July 22. The designation was primarily tied to conditioning, not injury itself. Moss admitted it was hard to stay in shape during his recovery, calling himself “a couch potato since November.”
There’s no denying Moss’ ability as a runner/receiver. He put together a strong start last year before the injury, which eventually resulted in Chase Brown taking over as the team’s RB1.
“That’s something people don’t know about Zack is how tough he is,” Bengals running backs coach Justin Hill said. “When he was in Indy, he played I don’t know how many games with a broken arm. That’s just who he is. He’s one of the toughest people I’ve ever been around.”
Moss Played Through Injury Before Learning It Was a Broken Neck
In a Week 8 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles last season, Moss knew there was something wrong.
“I started losing feeling in my arm,” Moss said. “Coming out of that game, I pretty much played that game with seven fingers.”
It was discovered later that his neck “was broken in three different places on his C6,” Moss told Dehner Jr.
The Bengals backfield has a much different look in 2025. Brown is coming off a successful season. Samaje Perine has returned to Cincinnati after stints with the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 and 2024. And explosive rookie Tahj Brooks.
It’s not going to easy for Moss competing for snaps in a loaded backfield. But the familiarity and his previous success in the offense gives him a shot.
But the motivation is clear. He wants to do everything he can to earn his role back for the Bengals.
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