Bengals were wise to rip off the bandaid by releasing and replacing running back Joe Mixon

UPDATE: The Bengals are trading Mixon to the Houston Texans rather than releasing him, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.   At long last, the Cincinnati Bengals have made a final decision on running back Joe Mixon. Cincinnati made simultaneous moves to close out the first day of legal tampering by agreeing to terms with running back Zack […]

John Sheeran — Cincinnati Bengals News Writer
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Joe Mixon
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UPDATE: The Bengals are trading Mixon to the Houston Texans rather than releasing him, per NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.  

At long last, the Cincinnati Bengals have made a final decision on running back Joe Mixon. 

Cincinnati made simultaneous moves to close out the first day of legal tampering by agreeing to terms with running back Zack Moss on a two-year, $8 million deal, and releasing Mixon right afterwards.

After a bustling day of movement with the running back market, the Bengals saw the tier of ballcarriers they were eyeing fall right within the price range to make this swap work. It would've been silly not to once it got to this point. 

Releasing and replacing Joe Mixon ended up as the right financial move

This was only going to happen if it made financial sense. The Bengals kept a close on whether or not free agent running backs were getting paid.

The top ones did. Saquon Barkley cashed in for up to $46.75 million and $26 million guaranteed over three years. Josh Jacobs got $48 million over four years. D'Andre Swift and Tony Pollard got $24 million over three years each. 

Then the next tier emerged. Devin Singletary agreed to $16.5 million over three years. Antonio Gibson got $11.25 million over three years. Gus Edwards with $6.5 million over two years. 

It didn't take long for Mixon's $8.5 million cap hit and $5.75 million cash figure to look like a hindrance rather than a value. And with a week until Mixon's $3 million roster bonus was set to kick in, Moss came into the picture. 

Moss, who's 26 and hasn't even hit 500 career carries, is set to make about $4.5 million in cash this season, and his cap hit should be lower or about the same. That's cap and cash savings for a running back one year younger, and has a clear case of fitting the Bengals' offense better.

Making guys miss? Advantage Moss. More explosive plays per opportunity? Advantage Moss. Pass protection? Advantage Moss.

Ability per dollar spent? Advantage Moss.

The plan at running back moving forward

Mixon leaving the Bengals' backfield begins a new era of the run game, and it rightfully matches what it should be with a franchise quarterback.

An efficient and explosive ground attack is a must regardless who's under center, even when Joe Burrow is going to have the ball in his hands in the most important moments. But it doesn't have to come from one guy anymore. Multiple backs under manageable contracts that offer similar, yet varying, skillsets is exactly what an NFL offense should feature.

No pressure to forcefully feed touches to a "bellcow" for the sake of establishing the run. No obvious pre-snap tell based on which specific player is next to the quarterback. No more fitting a square peg in a round whole schematic wise. 

Moss can be projected as the "starter," but 2023 fifth-round pick Chase Brown is on track to be involved more. He caught fire towards the end of his rookie season, and the Bengals' offense became more explosive with his presence. What the Bengals may be losing in the receiving game with Mixon released, they'll gain by targeting Brown more often through the air.

And there's room for one more. Trayveon Williams is back on a one-year deal, but he doesn't prohibit the club from adding another inexpensive free agent back, or a mid-round pick in the NFL Draft.

Closing thoughts

The Bengals don't make this swap if it didn't make sense on the field, and on the cap sheet. Moss comes in as a cheaper option to lead a more equitable running back committee, which reflects how NFL offenses should address the position room in today's game.

Mixon will go down as one of the best Bengals running backs of all time for seven productive seasons. He took a pay cut halfway into his life-changing contract extension. 

But everyone knew it was time.  

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