Cincinnati Bengals: Former Oklahoma Running Backs Becoming a Bargain

Despite it being a tough watch at times, every year, the preseason proves just how much we have missed football. We are all prone to overreaction. In reality, we are watching young prospects play against third or fourth string units who are fighting to make rosters. The vast majority of these guys won’t make an impact, at least not right away.

That being said, Rodney Anderson looked electrifying in his preseason debut against the Giants on Friday night. A measly seven yards on eight carries, but it was four receptions for 51 yards that impressed, showing elusiveness in the open field.

The Bengals running back unit looks to be one of the brighter spots on the roster. This is thanks in part to the value they have found from talented Oklahoma Sooner running backs coming off of setbacks that hurt their draft stock.

Anderson and fellow former Sooners running back Joe Mixon were both on the same roster in college. However, they never really played together. In their freshman year, Anderson struggled to stay on the field because of injury while Mixon impressed averaging 6.7 yards a carry. In his sophomore season, Mixon rushed for 1,274 yards and ten touchdowns while catching five more. Anderson missed the same season because of a neck injury he suffered in a scrimmage.

After his sophomore season, Mixon elected to forgo his remaining two years of eligibility to go pro. With many teams concerned with the off the field issues stemming from a domestic violence video that went viral, Mixon dropped into the second round to the Bengals.

Mixon going pro allowed Anderson, a four star recruit out of Katy, Texas coming off a neck injury  to lead the Oklahoma backfield in his junior season. He did just that. With Baker Mayfield at quarterback, Anderson helped spearhead a high powered big play offense. He would go on to run for 1161 yards, and catch 281 yards through the air while finding the end zone 18 times. In the 2018 Rose Bowl, Anderson rushed for over 200 yards and added two touchdowns in a shootout loss.

In the second game of his fourth season against UCLA, Anderson tore his ACL. His year was over. Anderson, who had one more year of eligibility because of a medical redshirt, elected to go pro.

After being projected to go in the first round on “way too early” mock drafts before the 2018 season, the former All-Big 12 second teamer fell to Cincinnati in the sixth round this past April. Against the Giants, Anderson showed flashes of what he is capable of. He now has an opportunity to show why he was a projected a first round pick just a year ago.

In his first three seasons, Mixon has become one of the better backs in the league. Last year, he had the most rushing yards in the AFC. Two different situations caused their draft stock to drop. Now, Mixon and Anderson find themselves in the same backfield again. Now, they are trying to do what they never could at Oklahoma, combine their talents to scorch defenses together.

In the 2019 version of the NFL, most teams have some sort of running back committee, or at least a plan to help ease the workload for the bell cows. Mixon has sustained several injuries in his first two seasons. The Bengals could use Anderson to help lessen that risk. Change of pace back Giovani Bernard has lightened Mixon’s workload over the course of the long season in recent years, but lack of size has always been an issue. Fellow rookie Trayveon Williams is already dealing with an injury. Thus, Anderson could prove to be Mixon’s most impactful sidekick.