4 teams who could sign Joe Mixon if the Bengals cut him

If you ask most fans, the general consensus will be that the Cincinnati Bengals are either going to trade or cut Joe Mixon this offseason, likely the latter. It'll free up a good bit of cap that Cincinnati will most certainly need in 2024, especially to sign back big names like D.J. Reader, Tee Higgins, Logan Wilson, etc.

Will the front office do it? Well, we'll have to see, but for now, let's entertain the rumors and speculate what teams might pick him up if the Bengals do end up cutting ties with the veteran running back. Even if Mixon had an off-year this season, I can still see several running back-hungry teams wanting to pick up the Oklahoma product.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.

Chicago Bears

If the Bears decide not to re-sign David Montgomery, I think they're a prime candidate to pick up Mixon. They do have Khalil Herbert on the roster, who put up nice numbers as RB2 with 731 yards on 5.7 yards per attempt with four scores, but will the Bears have him be the number one guy moving forward? I don't think so, I think he'll continue to be a back who splits the reps with the number one guy and I think Mixon will be that guy.

While he left a lot to be desired in the running game in 2022, Mixon did have a quietly efficient receiving attack, catching 60 passes for 441 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which is the most yards and receptions he's had in a single season up until this point.

The Bears are going to want to get Justin Fields some weapons, and Mixon catching short passes out of the backfield could end up helping with his development, especially if his offensive line is as ineffective as it was this season (Fields was the most sacked quarterback alongside Russell Wilson), to have someone to dump off short passes to before the pass rush can get to him.

Don't be surprised if Mixon's new home is just a few states away.