Over the previous few decades, a number of Bengals running backs have departed the team and gone on to succeed in the postseason alongside future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady. The most well-known case was the notorious Corey Dillon, who left Cincinnati during a 2004 season game. Dillon ceremoniously flung his pads into the crowd following the season’s last game and would never again play a down for the squad. He may have had a difficult time leaving the squad, but other players in the queen city will live on in the memories of their fans.
Rex Burkhead, a 2013 sixth-round draft selection selected by Cincinnati, declared his retirement from the NFL on Monday afternoon. Burkhead spent four seasons as a player at Cincinnati. In 2015, he was a member of the illustrious Cincinnati running back trio, which also comprised Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, and Burkhead as the receiving back and power back. Burkhead added, “I’m grateful that I’ve been able to play football for 26 years, and there are a lot of people I would like to thank for that.” He continued by thanking his parents, his spouse Danielle, their two kids, their coaches, the owners and support staff, his teammates, and the fans.
Burkhead attended the University of Nebraska during his college career. Cincinnati selected him late in the 2013 NFL Draft with the intention of developing him into the team’s equivalent of James White, the New England Patriots’ postseason hero. White would be an ideal backup for the team given his willingness and ability to either run, receive, or block out of the running back or slot receiver positions after spending his first season on the practice squad. Burkhead spent four seasons with the New England Patriots after leaving Cincinnati in 2017, and he played a significant role in the team’s victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LII in 2019. Brady had a reliable check-down option in Burkhead in the northeast, even though he had trouble seeing the field in Cincinnati.
Burkhead played for the Houston Texans for the last two seasons of his career following his time with the Patriots. With 427 running yards, he had his most productive season with Houston in 2021. With 1,908 rushing yards and 1,534 receiving yards at the end of his 10-year NFL career, Burkhead was a reliable utility option. I’m wishing Burkhead and his family a joyful retirement following a running back’s rather lengthy NFL career.
