Bengals 3 worst moves of the 2023 offseason

2. Keeping Joe Mixon on his current contract

It truly felt as though the Bengals would part ways with Joe Mixon this offseason for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, the guy wasn't himself in 2022. Second, he's expensive. Third, he's had drama off the field and that's never good for business.

While Mixon is coming off of a not-so-great year for him, that's not the only reason that keeping him on the roster is looked at as a bad move. It's the contract that's a problem. Mixon is set to make $10 million in 2023. There had previously been reports that the Bengals were going to ask Mixon to take a pay cut or they'd cut him but that hasn't come to fruition.

After Cincinnati didn't sign a running back in free agency and waited until the fifth round to add to the position, it appeared as though Mixon would indeed be the starter at running back. Zac Taylor pretty much confirmed as much following the draft.

Keeping Mixon on the team isn't necessarily a bad move considering what he's been able to do for the Bengals in the past. Keeping him on the roster with his current contract, however, is a big swing and miss for the franchise. Hopefully he proves us wrong this year.