This Important Bengals Player Is On The Chopping Block
Updated: Jun 28, 2023
Bengals’ star Joe Mixon will again face charges over accusations that he waved a gun at a woman in January.
On Friday, the Cincinnati Police Department re-filed a charge for menacing. The cost is a first-degree misdemeanor which could carry a maximum sentence of 180 days, a maximum fine of $1 thousand, and a maximum of five years probation in Ohio.
The Bengals running back will have to appear in court on April 19 over the allegations, which were initially dropped.
He could be gone from Cincinnati’s team as he faces allegations.
Bye, Bye Mixon?
Amidst the allegations in January, they appeared to affect Mixon’s playing time on the field in the AFC Championship Game. Mixon got out-touched by former Bengals running back Semaje Perine, 43 snaps to Mixon’s 23.
In 2021, Mixon had a career-high in rushing yards (1,205). However, Mixon’s numbers dropped significantly as he only reached 814 running yards and seven touchdowns in the 2022 season.
Mixon is expected to be a free agent in 2025 after signing a $48 million contract extension for four years.
Mixon struggled on the field in efficiency, but most importantly, he’s awaiting the refilling charges against him.
Cincinnati would be innovative to part ways with Mixon for many reasons. For most of the season, he was outperformed on a per-touch basis.
According to Sharp Football Analysis, Rich Hribar, Mixon led the league in the percentage of runs to come against light boxes (42.2%); Joe Mixon averaged 3.9 yards per carry (36th among 44 backs with 100 or more carries), 2.61 yards after contact per carry (39th), and 8.4% of his carries went for ten or more yards (34th).
The Bengals Have Options In Free Agency
If Mixon is out of the picture, the Bengals have options in free agency and the NFL draft. Ezekiel Elliott, Jerick McKinnon, Kareem Hunt, and Leonard Fournette are all available in free agency. Cincinnati can even trade to get Austin Ekeler from the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Bengals need a running back who can catch passes in the backfield and someone who can be a threat in between tackles. However, that could be hard to find, and they would probably have to use a duo to split the carries like Perine, who is now in Denver, and Mixon.
Hunt and McKinnon would be the most logical to fit the playing style in Cincinnati because of their skill as receiving backs, while Elliott and Fournette are shadowing their younger selves.
Elliott has stated that the Bengals are one of the teams he would like to play for in the 2023 season. He could give the team pass-blocking ability, especially after losing Perine. He was also teammates with Joe Borrow at Ohio State in 2015.
Austin Ekeler would be a great fit for the offensive scheme with the Bengals.
Austin Ekeler has had 25 touchdowns in the last two seasons. Last season, the Chargers running back broke the record for most receptions by a running back in their franchise history (107).
Moreover, Austin is one of four players in 15 years to score at least 15 touchdowns in back-to-back seasons. The running back is one of two players in NFL history to have ten rushing touchdowns and five or more receiving touchdowns in consecutive seasons.
Running Backs In The Upcoming Draft
Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are the standouts that caught everyone’s eye in the draft. However, Robinson will probably be gone before the Bengals snag one of them.
Robinson is good enough to be considered a first-rounder due to his dominance and significance as an every-down back. He can get between tackles and has an excellent pass-catching ability.
The Bengals could get Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs because he has good pass-catching skills and superb speed, but he is only an up-down back. The Bengals could use Fournette or Elliott to get short yardage on second or third downs.
If the Bengals decide to move on from Mixon, adding Gibbs or Robinson would elevate their offense, increasing their chances of a deep run in the AFC postseason.