Bengals Cut Former Starting Running Back As He Recovers From Broken Neck

The Cincinnati Bengals on Wednesday released veteran running back Zack Moss, who signed a two-year deal with the team over the 2024 offseason. Moss is currently recovering from a neck injury he sustained in November of last year.

Just before the Bengals were scheduled to play the Raiders in Week 9, Moss learned he had broken his neck in three places—and had been playing through it for weeks.

“I didn’t know, no one knew,” he said recently, per The Athletic. “Friday before the Raiders game, it stunned everybody. I didn’t know it was broken.”

Had he understood what had happened, though, he probably would have sat out much earlier.

"We never had any tell outside of my neck just being really sore,” he continued. “That’s the thing people don’t know. I haven’t really spoken about it because I really don’t care too much. Team didn’t know. I didn’t know it was broken. That’s the part where I say, so many different variables. If I knew my neck was broken, I probably wouldn’t have played."

Since reporting to training camp, Moss has been on the Non-Football Injury list, which prescribed his non-participation to conditioning rather than a neck injury. In his interview with The Athletic, he seemed aware that he had to prove he was still ready and able to play, and knew his body might ultimately make that decision for him. He also knew retirement was a possibility, but wasn't yet ready to make that call.

"Just going to allow my body to tell me when it is ready, and then we will go from that, and leave it up to people who have to make decisions on that," he said. "I can’t make those decisions. I just do what I got to do and things go from there.”

Moss, who has also played for the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts, had 74 carries for 242 yards and two touchdowns last season, starting five of the six games he played for Cincinnati. In total, he has racked up 2,318 career rushing yards and 16 touchdowns across 61 games played.