Bengals Eye Cut-Day Claims as Tyrone Tracy Jr. Wobbles in New York
Tracy Jr. posted 740 rush yards in 2025 but a rough preseason has him on the bubble. Cincinnati could pounce behind Chase Brown, our RB7.
Landing spot decides everything — a Bengals claim locks him behind Chase Brown.
- Tracy Jr.: 740 rush yds, 4.2 YPC in 2025
- Tracy Jr.: 10 total TDs over first two seasons
- Chase Brown ranks #24 overall, RB7 in our model
- Brown: 281 PPR pts across 17 games in 2025
- Brown trending up: +6.6 pts vs avg last 5 games
Roster-cut weekend always shakes loose a name or two worth chasing, and this year the most intriguing bubble player might be Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. He ran for 740 yards on 4.2 yards per carry in 2025 and has stacked 10 total touchdowns across his first two NFL seasons — production that would normally guarantee a job. Instead, a messy preseason has him listed as a possible surprise cut in New York.
The trouble started early. Tracy whiffed on a block in the first preseason game that left rookie QB Jaxson Dart taking a hard hit and heading to the medical tent, then he fumbled in game two. Add the recent arrival of Najee Harris and a 2025 backfield that already featured Cam Skattebo, and suddenly a former starter is fighting for his spot. If he clears the roster and hits waivers, expect a line of teams ready to claim him.
Why Cincinnati Makes Sense
The Bengals are a logical suitor. Chase Brown is entrenched as the lead back, and Samaje Perine handles change-of-pace work, but the depth behind them is thin. Tracy would give Cincinnati a genuinely higher-ceiling insurance option — a back who's carried real volume and can catch out of the backfield, having added 288 receiving yards last year.
He isn't the only target being floated. There's chatter about Steelers running back Alex Heidenreich, a Navy product buried behind Travis Homer and Lew Nichols in Pittsburgh, who flashed with a touchdown in the third preseason game. And Eagles sixth-round tackle rookie, only 22, posted a 77.6 pass-blocking grade over two preseason games but looks squeezed out of Philadelphia's loaded line. Neither moves the fantasy needle the way Tracy would.
The Fantasy Fallout
For fantasy purposes, the only name that matters here is Tracy, and his value is entirely landing-spot dependent. If he lands somewhere with a wide-open depth chart, he's a stash. If Cincinnati claims him, he slides in behind Chase Brown — our RB7 at #24 overall, coming off 281 PPR points over 17 games in 2025 and trending up (+6.6 points versus his season average across his last five). That caps Tracy's weekly ceiling but makes him a valuable handcuff given how much Brown does.
Don't burn a roster spot on speculation before the dust settles. Keep Tracy on your watch list, monitor which team files the claim this weekend, and be ready to move fast if he lands in a backfield with a path to touches. In a Bengals uniform, he's a Brown handcuff worth a late-round stash; anywhere with an open job, he jumps the queue.
