Bengals Free Agency: Jamaal Williams could add depth to the backfield

The consensus among Cincinnati Bengals fans is that the team needs to cut Joe Mixon and save money where they can. If Mixon is cut, the team will have to find a new RB1 and RB2 because Mixon would be gone and Samaje Perine is a free agent.

Signing Jamaal Williams could make a lot of sense for Cincinnati in free agency. The former fourth-round pick out of BYU played for the Packers for the first four years of his career and then joined division rival Detroit and played there for the past two years.

Williams was on fire this past season, rushing for over 1,000 yards and an eye-popping 17 touchdowns in 17 games and nine starts. He wasn't utilized much in the pass-catching aspect but in 2019 when he was with the Packers, he had five receiving touchdowns so he certainly can be an playmaker there.

Bengals should consider signing Jamaal Williams

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports listed potential landing spots for the best running backs hitting the free-agent market and listed the Bengals as a good fit for Williams.

"The Lions are well positioned to upgrade (as we have them doing with Josh Jacobs), and while Williams was a no-nonsense red zone star in 2022, he's never been a consistent full-timer. That's why the Bengals could be an ideal destination; Joe Mixon is a potential cap casualty atop the depth chart, while No. 2 Samaje Perine is bound for free agency. As a potential third-down option who splits hand-offs from Joe Burrow, he's an ideal short-term addition for a contender."

Spotrac projects that Williams will earn a two-year deal worth $8.3 million with an annual salary of $4.1 million. This would be an affordable deal for Cincinnati and they could either re-sign Samaje Perine and pair these two together or roll with Williams as the RB1 and draft his backup.

Either way, Williams would be an excellent addition to a Bengals backfield that needs a boost this offseason. He could do just that for the group.