Joe Mixon Finishes In Top-Five In Rushing
With two top-10 finishes in the past two seasons, Joe Mixon will look to take another leap forward as he seeks a new contract extension. A controversial selection in 2017, Mixon has solidified himself as one of the best running backs in the league despite playing behind one of the NFL’s most disastrous offensive lines.
Cincinnati ranked as being the third worst unit in the league in 2019 according to Pro Football Focus, and heading into 2020, they’re ranked even lower. The debut of 2019 1st-round pick Jonah Williams will help, but not much else was done to bolster the unit.
However, Mixon has spent his entire career running behind a similar dearth of talent, and has almost 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns to show for it. His AFC rushing title in 2018 was a surprise to most given the state of the team, and in 2020, improvement of any kind by the offense can only help his numbers improve.
Perhaps a boost from free agent acquisition Xavier S’ua-Filo or development from second-year guard Michael Jordan can help create more space as Mixon hopes to finally solidify himself as one of the league’s top rushers.
The NFL also features more question marks from its top rushers than most realize if we take a closer look. While another big season can likely be expected from Derrick Henry and possibly Nick Chubb, names like Leonard Fournette and Marlon Mack have injuries, depth chart competition, and team mediocrity to compete with on a grand scale.
Chris Carson may suffer from Seattle’s revolving door at the position, and regression is expected from Lamar Jackson in the rushing yards column. With a step forward by Mixon and some faltering by a few other names, a top five finish is well within reach.
