Bengals outranked by two AFC North teams in PFF RB rankings

Where does the Cincinnati Bengals’ running back position rank on PFF’s ranking of the position? 

Ben Linsey of Pro Football Focus ranked every team’s running back unit entering the 2022 season and he put the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 14 on the list, giving them an above-average unit. He had Cincinnati in his second tier, which consisted of teams with either a very good starter or good overall depth.

Here’s what Linsey had to say:

"Joe Mixon had the best season of his career last year in Cincinnati, ending the year ranked second among all running backs in offensive snaps (886) to go along with a career-high 82.1 PFF rushing grade. Samaje Perine fills in behind him as a middle-of-the-road No. 2 option who notably took an important third-and-1 carry in the Super Bowl. This past year’s draft selection Chris Evans did show some promise as a receiver (82.3 PFF receiving grade) in limited action in 2021."

As Linsey mentions, Joe Mixon put together the best year of his pro career and gave the Bengals another weapon in their elusive offense. The depth behind him isn’t intimidating by any means but it could be worse. Samaje Perine had his moments during the season and Chris Evans should get more chances to prove himself this year.

Despite being ranked 14th on Linsey’s list, the Bengals have the third-best running back room, according to PFF. The Browns are the top team on the list while the Ravens sit at No. 10.

Bengals rank 14th on PFF RB unit rankings, behind Browns and Ravens

As much as fans hate to compliment the Browns or the Ravens, it’s hard to argue with their spots on Linsey’s list. Cleveland has both Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt at their disposal as well as D’Ernest Johnson, who impressed last season.

Baltimore is in the same tier as Cincinnati but is in the opposite boat that the Bengals are in. While Cincy has a really good starter in Mixon, the Ravens have a plethora of decent options at the position. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards were both injured last year but the team added Tyler Badie and Mike Davis in the offseason, giving them a solid group of guys at the position.

What do you think of Cincinnati’s ranking on the RB position list?