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Conventional wisdom says the Cincinnati Bengals have one of the better backfields in the NFL.
Joe Mixon is the star centerpiece. And at a time when the NFL has moved to the committee approach more than ever, the Bengals have a superb backup with Giovani Bernard. Tack on talented upstarts like Rodney Anderson and Trayveon Williams, too.
But over at Pro Football Focus, the backfield in Cincinnati only ranks 22nd going into 2020:
“Mixon’s vision and burst have helped him create breakaway runs (runs of 15-plus yards) at the 14th-best rate among 71 qualifiers since 2017, but his production has been hurt by the Bengals ranking as a bottom-eight run-blocking unit in each of his three seasons. Mixon has three strong years of grading under his belt, and he’ll be even more dangerous with improvement up front.”
Mixon’s surroundings undoubtedly could’ve been better, but it’s saying something he’s accomplished so much with so little around him. One would think his typical production plus perceived roster upgrades under center and along the line would bump this ranking dramatically.
There’s something to be said for depth if not for a superstar workhorse running back. Bernard could handle a huge workload for most teams and both Anderson and Williams have flashed the ability to contribute.
Either way, Mixon and the Bengals enter 2020 looking to prove doubters wrong on plenty of fronts after a two-win season. That happens, rankings like this and snubs from top 100 lists go away pretty quickly.
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