While Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins still have rookie contract salaries attached to their names, two of the four most-expensive Cincinnati Bengals players are Joe Mixon and Jonah Williams from a salary cap perspective. 

Players near the top of the cap hit list should be cornerstone pieces for the franchise, and yet, both players were subjects of major speculation regarding their futures in Cincinnati. 

Now that the 2023 NFL Draft is in the books, and they're still hanging around, we can safely assume the Bengals will hold onto both players for the upcoming season. 

In eight picks, the Bengals drafted one running back and zero offensive tackles. The running back, Chase Brown, was picked at the end of the fifth round. Brown will be expected to share the load, not carry it, as was any back who would've gotten picked by the club.  

Could they release Mixon and sign a cheaper veteran to take his place? Sure, but completely starting over at the position with a Day 3 pick and another piece that's new to the system is a risk, and one the team probably won't take. Zac Taylor said it out loud in his post-draft presser.

"His future is here with the team," Taylor said. "I like Joe Mixon."

What could get in the way of this is Mixon's ongoing legal case. The veteran running back is due in court again this week after pleading not guilty to an aggravated menacing charge from an incident back in January where he allegedly pulled a gun on a woman in downtown Cincinnati.

The Bengals can't know for sure how that case will pan out, but they weren't exactly aggressive in finding an immediate replacement for Mixon in the draft. A pay cut might still be an option, but Mixon exited the weekend as a clear winner. 

When it comes to Williams, a release or pay cut has never been in the plans. The former first-round pick requested a trade soon after Cincinnati inked left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. to a four-year deal. Williams was taken aback by the sudden transaction and let his intentions be known about playing left tackle only in the NFL.

It was reported that the Bengals discussed with several teams regarding a potential Williams trade, but one never materialized during the draft, and a potential replacement was never added. 

The Bengals respected Williams' request, but they would've only made it happen if they got what they felt would've been an upgrade over him. Had Anton Harrison fell to them in the first round, a trade may've happened. But Williams remains a part of the Bengals plans. 

"Jonah is a valued member of this franchise," Taylor said after the draft. "We’re extremely happy to have him. He’s transitioning over to right tackle. I’m excited about that and he has an opportunity to compete as well." 

The best case scenario for Williams is the most likely one; a solid season at right tackle that leads to a sizable second contract from another team. Going with the team's wishes is his best path forward to achieving starting left tackle status somewhere else.