Bengals reportedly interested in ascending running back
Cincinnati will be interested in upgrading the position room.
A shakeup for the Cincinnati Bengals' running back room seems inevitable at this point.
Joe Mixon's future at his current salary cap hit appears bleak, Samaje Perine is a free agent, and the class of ball-carriers in the NFL Draft is noticeably strong.
The draft is only one avenue where Cincinnati can make changes to the group. We may see an addition in free agency this week.
Per Tyler Dunne of Go Long, the Bengals are among those interested in signing free agent running back Jamaal Williams.
Williams came into the league the same year Mixon did in 2017 as a fourth-round pick of the Green Bay Packers. He parlayed four years in Green Bay to a two-year deal with the Detroit Lions.
While 2021 was more or less on par with how Williams' time with the Packers went, he notched career-highs in carries (262), yards (1,066), and of course touchdowns (17) in 2022. The latter figure led the entire NFL.
Finding the end zone that many times again in 2023 isn't likely for the 27-year old back, but the Bengals should be intrigued anyways. Williams' tenacious running style matches what run game coordinator Frank Pollack idolizes, and would be a marketed improvement over Mixon. For his career, Williams averages 2.67 yards after contact per carry for his career.
Aside from the offseason news Mixon's been involved in this year, the Bengals are still in the market for gaining more production at his position. Mixon is coming off a down year in which he missed a handful of games due to a concussion. He ran for 978 yards on 249 carries (3.9 average).
Cutting Mixon would save the Bengals over $7 million in cap space for this season, more than enough to pay Williams with the leftover savings for this season.
Whether or not the Bengals bring in Williams, re-sign Perine, or hold onto Mixon, a rookie entering the equation is also likely.
Williams could also very well re-sign with the Lions. If that doesn't happen, expect the Bengals to be in the mix.
