Over the past thirty years, the Cincinnati Bengals have put substantial stock into the running back position. The team infamously selected Ki-Jana Carter with the first overall pick of the 1996 NFL Draft and then mercurial running back Corey Dillon was one of the most talented running backs at the start of the new millennium. Cincinnati has clearly put an emphasis on the quarterback position but they have also made it apparent that they believe the offense relies on a balance between an elite quarterback and a bell cow running back.
Cincinnati Bengals Running Back Expected to Be Released From Team During 2024 Offseason
It is no secret that the running back position has taken a major blow to its value over the past few seasons with the exploded salary cap growth rate. While the peak salaries at the quarterback position have multiplied over the past decade, the running back position has stagnated while the average career length of running backs has tanked.
That problem has officially spread to the Cincinnati’s complete back Joe Mixon as the Oklahoma product is expected to be released from the roster over the next few weeks. Mixon has managed to hit the 1,000-rushing yard mark four times during his career with Cincinnati after he was drafted with the 48th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft but he has also been the subject of some heavy scrutiny over the past few seasons. Let’s take a look at the rationale for Cincinnati.
Lack of Production Running the Football
Even though Mixon has been fairly productive statistically over the course of his career, there are some numbers that suggest that the team should move on this offseason. The biggest problem with Mixon is that he is arguably the least explosive running back in the NFL as he has failed to break a long touchdown run for several seasons in a row. Mixon has tallied an impressive amount of yards but it has mostly been his ability to avoid injury that has helped him as his yards per carry has stagnated to a mediocre value of 4.0.
Arguably the biggest problem with Mixon is that while he is a leader in the locker room, he has a tendency to be somewhat selfish in the backfield. Mixon may be a hard runner but he has been considered a major liability in pass protection and there is speculation that he may not be willing to be on the field if there isn’t a chance for him to get the ball. That’s certainly a harsh take but he has missed major blocking assignments more often than not over the past few seasons and a back unwilling or unable to pass block won’t endear himself to the team.
The truth is that Cincinnati is poised to move on this season after backup running back Chase Brown showed glimpses of excellence last season. Brown was able to generate some explosive plays that provided the Cincinnati offense with some major momentum. Even at his best, Mixon’s biggest weakness has been just that as explosive plays simply haven’t been generated when Mixon has the ball.
Salary Cap Rationale
As is often the case with high profile running backs, the biggest case against Mixon this offseason is going to be money. Even after restructuring his contract to essentially lower his salary, Mixon is going to cost over $8 million against the salary cap this offseason which ranks as the 6th most in the NFL. More significantly, Cincinnati is known for avoiding guaranteed money as much as possible as there would only be a $2 million cap hit upon releasing Mixon and that would generate a total savings of over $6 million. That would help the team to keep other stars on this team as the salary cap situation tightens on this talented roster.
Legal Troubles
While he hasn’t been charged or penalized by the NFL, Mixon had his fair share of trouble with the authorities last offseason. More significantly, all of these charges involved the aggressive use of firearms including a situation where a child was shot in the foot in Mixon’s front yard after the running back grew annoyed with them playing in his yard. It has been reported that Mixon’s brother-in-law was the culprit behind the incident but there is a negative trend with Mixon having disastrous incidents involving weapons and aggressive behavior.
Will Mixon Stay Next Season?
Even after all of this is said, the management group behind the Cincinnati Bengals has been renowned as one of the most loyal in the NFL. Mixon has been one of the most popular and productive players on the offense for the past seven years even when the offense was non existent prior to the arrival of their superstar quarterback Joe Burrow. Mixon has publicly stated that he doesn’t believe that the rumors are true but if Cincinnati is serious about extending their Super Bowl window, all cap-heavy contracts must be put under review this offseason.
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