Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon is one of the hottest topics around the fanbase right now.
That just goes to show where the Bengals are right now as a team under .500 with slim hopes for the rest of the season.
But it also speaks to how beloved Mixon was as a player while in Cincinnati and how controversial letting him go in the first place was.
The details
Mixon is arguably having the best year of his career over just six games in Houston so far. He’s averaged 4.8 yards per carry (4.9 is his career high) and scored six times (13 is his career high). He’s gained 609 yards, easily putting him in position to surpass his career-high of 1,205 from 2021. Along the way, he’s looked quicker and made more guys miss than he ever did in Cincinnati.
The offense
No doubt the Bengals did right by Mixon when they traded him to an offense that fits his skill set. The zone look gets him so many more chances to run free than what the Bengals put out there for him. With additional space, he’s been able to go to work at making guys miss. By comparison, the offense the Bengals want to run just isn’t as effective inside. They want more explosive runs and want to be under center more, but also want versatile backs who can pass protect well and go out as a receiver.
Mixon himself
We can only speculate, but Mixon looks trimmer this year, which probably doesn’t hurt in the burst department. And getting dealt while approaching the age of 30 probably had a pretty good motivating factor on him, too.
Hindsight is…
…complicated. The Bengals wanted good pass protection and versatile backs. They also didn’t want to pay a $9.5 million cap hit on Mixon this year and $10.5 million in 2026. They couldn’t or wouldn’t overhaul the run scheme to fit his talent. Now that the current backs are struggling despite Joe Burrow’s elite season, it’s pretty clear the interior of the line and Zac Taylor’s scheme are an issue. Mixon, meanwhile, will continue to feast and serve as a reminder that, maybe, just maybe, he wasn’t the biggest problem for the Bengals offense. There’s still time for the coaching staff to adjust and get a spark going, but that’s where things stand now.
