The NFL is oftentimes a cutthroat business. Non-guaranteed player contracts will always keep the power in the hands of the owners.

But very few franchises showcase their concern for player relationships like the Cincinnati Bengals.

This will be put to the test when it comes to Joe Mixon, but the outcome is a bit predictable.

Mixon has a court date set for April 19 after a charge for Aggravated Menacing was refiled against him on Friday. The charge, pertaining to an incident in which Mixon allegedly pointed a gun at a person in downtown Cincinnati, was initially dropped back in February a day after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Now that said charge has been refiled due to discovery of new evidence, there's a good possibility that the allegations against Mixon have truth to them. That obviously doesn't bode well for his standing with the Bengals. 

Mixon has been labeled a cap casualty this offseason by numerous outlets and analysts, including yours truly. It stands to reason that he wouldn't even be on the team right now had Samaje Perine accepted a raise to stay in Cincinnati instead of taking a similar offer with the Denver Broncos when free agency began last month.  

But he's still here, and as of now, he's the team's best option at the position. Cincinnati's executive vice president Katie Blackburn alluded to this back at last month's owners meetings.

The NFL Draft remains the critical point on the timeline of Mixon's future with the team. The Bengals will be targeting a running back early in the Draft, and if picked early enough, he could feasibly replace Mixon immediately. There's also a strong possibility the club will want to pair Mixon with the rookie for the upcoming season. Once the Draft concludes, a free agent such as Ezekiel Elliott could be signed to create a brand new tandem in the backfield. 

Essentially, everything's on the table, except the Bengals letting Mixon go while his legal issues are hanging in the balance.

Regardless if Mixon's court appearance leads to anything imminent regarding sentencing, the Bengals will not cut ties with him solely because of his personal issues. While much has changed inside the walls of Paycor Stadium, their loyalty to their own core players hasn't. 

Mixon is a player they vouched for all the way back when he was drafted in 2017. Many clubs had the talented running back crossed off their boards due to his punching a female back in 2014. He wasn't invited to the NFL Scouting Combine because of the incident, which happened three years prior. 

The Bengals spent a week's worth of time with him in the pre-draft process getting to know the dual threat back from Oklahoma. They eventually bought in to his growth by selecting him 48th overall in the Draft that year. 

After three productive years playing on his rookie deal, the front office rewarded him with a four-year extension worth nearly $50 million. He soon became a team captain, fan favorite, and positive member of the community. They've seen and heard about nothing but the person they believed him to be up until a few months ago.

The incident that occurred back on January 21 doesn't take away the last six years. But if he's proven guilty, it will put a damper on how his run in Cincinnati may end.

Regardless, the idea that the club will cut ties with Mixon before they can't wait any longer simply doesn't fit them. They'll let the facts come to them and make the smart decision for the franchise as a whole. 

And if the facts conclude that they'll be better off without him, that's the route they'll take. 

The conclusion may be different if Mixon was simply valuable enough on the field to justify his $12.7 million cap hit. That's also what football sometimes unpleasantly reveals to us: Performance trumps nearly everything. He's also working against the reality that very few running backs are even worth that much cap space on a yearly basis. That's not his fault, but it's not ignorable either.

Mixon's refiled charge will bring either good or bad news. It won't impact when the Bengals decide to address him.