Coming out of college, Joe Mixon had established himself as a tremendous receiving threat. In his last season with the Oklahoma Sooners, he caught 37 balls for 538 yards and 5 touchdowns. His average of 14.5 yards per reception is something the Bengals could certainly use in their offensive gameplan.
Yet, the team has failed to utilize him in the air attack thus far. In his three year career, he still hasn’t eclipsed 300 receiving yards.
With Joe Burrow now calling the shots, that should change in 2020. The Athen’s native clearly has an affinity for throwing to running backs, as his collegiate teammate, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, caught an impressive 55 passes for 453 yards during Burrow’s Heisman campaign.
Burrow will have plenty of pressure on him during his rookie year. Taylor and his coaching staff should look to relieve that by giving him the opportunity to utilize Mixon more in the passing game. Some quick, short throws to the talented back should do the trick.
Mixon has already established himself as one of the best runners in the league. Now, it’s time to prove he can be one of the best coming out of the backfield as well.