The Cincinnati Bengals have turned some heads this offseason with the lack of action at running back.
That initially started because of Joe Mixon’s gaudy contract before off-field headlines and only amplified further once Samaje Perine left for the Denver Broncos.
But while summarizing events at league meetings this past week, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano raised a good point about the situation — Trayveon Williams’ presence on the roster:
In other Bengals news, Taylor said signing a running back in free agency is a “possibility” but added he really likes the progress of Trayveon Williams, who re-signed this month. “We have high hopes for him. He understands what it takes to compete in this league.” And Chris Evans is entering his third year. So, while Ezekiel Elliott and Kareem Hunt are among the free agent options, the Bengals like who they have as well.
Williams, a sixth-rounder in 2019, has continually survived the fire of big turnover on the back end of the depth chart and emerged especially on special teams in recent years.
Bengals coaches bringing up Williams is telling, likely suggesting they trust him as a Perine fill-in at this point. Notably, sixth-rounder Chris Evans from 2021 continues to not get mentioned in similar conversations.
This won’t stop the Bengals from drafting a running back and/or signing a free agent no matter what happens with Mixon. But it’s clear the Trayveon Williams factor continues to go overlooked outside of the offices at Paycor Stadium.
