The Cincinnati Bengals have said all the right things when it comes to starting running back Joe Mixon.
Mixon, a common cut candidate for the Bengals given his lofty contract in 2023, remains one of the bigger question marks surrounding the team.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (h/t Bleacher Report’s Paul Kasabian) recently relayed on “SportsCenter” the vibes the team continues to put out:
“Joe Mixon, here’s another one that’s a high-end running back due $9.4 million in salary. The Bengals have been non-committal about Mixon’s future publicly, so that’s why he’s one to watch here because they need running back help though, they’re pretty thin behind him. So, they could keep him because they believe he had a good all-around year last year, but something has to give. They got to pay Joe Burrow, so they need some extra money.”
Mixon’s $12.8 million cap hit is something the Bengals would presumably like to chop down or lose completely, depending on potential talks about a restructuring or pay cut.
At the same time, Mixon was still very productive last year, even if he was coming off the field in key situations because of his limitations as a pass blocker.
The Bengals have to walk a fine line in public comments for many reasons. One of those is the upcoming draft and the loss of Samaje Perine in free agency.
For now, it continues to look like any news on the Mixon front will happen after the draft.
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