The Cincinnati Bengals have come to a crossroads when it comes to veteran running back Joe Mixon. He showed a concerning lack of explosiveness during the 2022 season, which has many people wondering whether or not the team is going to be moving on from him at some point before the 2023 season.
In a recent mailbag by Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic, a question was asked specifically about Mixon and if there is a deadline to get something done with him. As a follow-up, the person also asked how likely the scenario would be.
“Now for our contractually obligated questions about contracts. The Mixon restructure/cut deadline technically would be the Tuesday before the opener when veteran contracts lock in for the year. At that point, the $12.8 million cap hit and $10.1 million in cash would become official.
Would the Bengals want to wait that long? Absolutely not. Whether on cutdown day on Aug. 29 or before training camp begins on July 26, all sides would prefer resolution sooner rather than later, but there are variables galore on the timing.”
Money is a major factor. As Dehner pointed out, the Bengals could save a ton of money by moving on from Mixon before his contract becomes guaranteed. That salary cap space could be used to bring in a veteran, such as Dalvin Cook or Ezekiel Elliott, and spread among the roster to upgrade other areas of need.
One of the other variables is certainly the depth chart. If the Bengals let go of Mixon, their running back room is short on experience. Rookie Chase Brown is currently listed as the backup to Mixon with Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans behind him.
That trio has a combined 64 carries in their respective carries with Williams being the only one to record a tote during the 2022 season. Releasing Mixon without a contingency plan to bring in a more experienced option could be very detrimental to the offense.
It would put a ton of pressure on Joe Burrow and the passing offense as teams would be daring the Bengals to run the ball. We have seen rookie running backs contribute to contending teams; look at Isiah Pacheco last season for the Kansas City Chiefs. But, the Chiefs had experienced players such as Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon as well, which the Bengals are lacking.
The decision involving Mixon certainly won’t be an easy one. He is an integral part of the team’s offense and has been since he was selected in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
