In Bengals news, will Joe Mixon restructure his contract? Also, the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line is ready to rock and roll in 2023.
Mixon is currently set to earn $10 million in 2023 according to Spotrac but after a not-so-stellar 2022 campaign and the Bengals needing the extra cash to pay Joe Burrow, Tee Higgins, Logan Wilson, and eventually Ja'Marr Chase, and other key names, would he be willing to take a pay cut?
Previously, there had been reports that the Bengals were going to either ask Mixon to take a pay cut or they'd cut him but he's still on the roster. Zac Taylor also said that he was going to be their starting running back.
Perhaps Mixon can have a better year if the offensive line helps him out more. Ted Karras said on the Cincinnati Bengals Talk podcast that he believes the current OL is in a much better spot than last year's group was. The team signed Orlando Brown Jr. in the offseason.
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Bengals’ offseason: Gauging what’s next for Jonah Williams, Joe Mixon, Joe Burrow
Dehner discusses a few different players and topics here but the Mixon section is what we'll focus on.
"The endgame will be about whether or not he’s willing to realign his $12.8 million cap hit and $10 million in cash to the current state of the running back market. If he’s not, the Bengals will probably tap into the veteran backwaters that are currently overflowing with victims of the philosophical shift away from paying the position."Paul Dehner Jr.
Ted Karras says the Bengals offensive line is far ahead of where it was last offseason
"“We’re so far ahead of where we were last year, especially from an o-line perspective,” Karras told James Rapien via the Cincinnati Bengals Talk podcast. “We’ve only added one more (player). We added four last year, and just procedurally, everyone knows their assignments. I mean, Orlando (Brown Jr.) has been easy. You know, easy install for a football coach. He’s got a great football mind. I was watching the film last night. I just thought, man, we look really serious. We look really organized. And you know, I really liked the week of practice that we have.”"From Garrison's article
2023 NFL running back unit rankings: San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns among Tier 1 teams
The Bengals don't pop up on McGuinness' list until No. 23. He notes that this could be Mixon's last year with the Stripes and says he's "adequate at the position". It's shocking to see the Bengals so low on these rankings but after Mixon wasn't himself last year and the team waited until round five to add another option, I guess maybe we shouldn't be surprised.