Can the Bengals get more from RB Joe Mixon in the run-up to 2022? – Blog Cincinnati Bengals

CINCINNATI – Last season should have answered any questions about Joe MixonThe ability to be one of the NFL’s best backrunners.

His fifth season with Cincinnati Bengals is his best so far. Mixon is one of the most productive players in the position, winning his first Pro Bowl pick and even throwing a touchdown pass in the Bengals’ first Super Bowl appearance in 33 five.

However, the lingering question of Mixon’s ability as a versatile comeback remains. Ever since he caught dazzling passes during his college days in Oklahoma, his status as a receiver has become a hot topic for fans and especially ball managers. fantasy stone.

But numbers from Mixon’s 2021 season and comments from Bengals coach Zac Taylor suggest the question has been answered.

“To claim that we can get more out of Joe [Mixon] in the passing game, that has to pull from somewhere,” Taylor said May 31 after an off-season practice session. “Then we’ll talk about why there isn’t much production from Ja’Marr [Chase] or Tee [Higgins]. ”

Taylor hints at the conundrum the Bengalis happily ask themselves as they draft two wide receivers in 2021 and 2020 respectively. Between them, the veteran wide receiver Tyler Boyd and the tight end recently departed CJ UzomahFinding the right balance to distribute the ball will be a challenge.

In 2021, Cincinnati succeeded. Chase set a franchise record for yards received in a single season (1,455) and was named the Associated Press NFL Rookie of the Year. Higgins has also crossed the 1,000-yard mark. Uzomah posted a career year that earned him a three-year, $24 million contract from New York Jets.

Mixon works better than all of them.

He dashed with a career height of 1,205 feet, the third-highest in the NFL last season. Calculate his total score from the passing game and Mixon ended the year with 1,519 yards from the script and a total of 16 offensive ground touches, putting him fourth among all NFL backruns. in each respective category.

But most of that damage was done on the ground. He was 18th in back yards and 25th in goal totals.

Being on the field in more passing situations, especially on the third pass, could increase Mixon’s potential target ratio. But Mixon’s current usage makes that a tricky situation.

Last season, Mixon was on the field with 64% of the Cincinnati team’s total shots, the fourth-highest of all players running back, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. And much of that happens in a series of downward steps.

Mixon was on the field for 75% of the team’s first and second kills while Samaje Perine, the group’s second chain is back in action, having a rate of 16% of those cases. But on the third downhill of three feet or more, those numbers changed. Perine gets 64% snaps while Mixon’s market share drops to 17%.

After the 2020 season, the coaching staff challenged Mixon to improve his pass protection after the Bengals veteran made his debut Giovani Bernard. Although Mixon made great strides in that area, Perine effectively replaced Bernard in most passing situations, including those lasting two minutes.

“If we will take [Mixon] on a knockdown, I’d rather take him down to third so he’s good first and second,” said Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.

The current structure leaves Mixon off the field in a number of potentially high-leverage situations, such as the third and first pivotal games in Super Bowl LVI, where Perine was stopped without a profit. Callahan seems to suggest that there’s room for some flexibility in ’22 allowing Mixon to see more of the third shot while balancing his overall workload.

“You would never let him take so many pictures, especially if you wanted to keep him fresh all season long,” Callahan said. “But at the end of the day, I’d like to see a little more use for him in season three.”

Mixon’s thoughts on the subject are unclear. He did not speak to reporters watching Super Bowl LVI and did not hold any press conferences during the team’s off-season practice.

But Mixon’s work in the first five years of his career speaks volumes. Last year’s numbers yielded strong early returns on a 4-year, $48 million contract extension he signed in 2020. And he’s in line for a possible offense. ready for a big season in 2022.