[jwplayer L1kZfATH-ThvAeFxT]
The Cincinnati Bengals and fans know running back Joe Mixon is a special player.
Mixon, owner of 1,000-plus yards in each of the last two seasons despite poor surroundings, has all the makings of a breakout player if those surroundings improve.
And if the team uses him more.
First, the surroundings. As we noted in June, Mixon had less than two yards before contact on average last season. The line and offense failed him. Fix those problems and one of the NFL’s best backs has a little more critical time to pick and choose his spots and go.
It’d help if the offensive gameplan looped him in more too, as PFF’s Evan McPhillips illustrated:
Joe Mixon is criminally underutilized as a receiver. He had 42 targets last season (T-29th for RBs)
Mixon ran 241 routes, less than RBs such as:
G. Bernard (262)
Fournette (483)
L. Bell (391)
D. Freeman (337)
Gurley (391)Mixon deserves more opportunitypic.twitter.com/EA62felOoF
— Evan McPhillips (@emcphil) July 26, 2020
Feel free to pair it with this recent note:
Only RBs with 𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐨 fumbles on runs since 2018 (min. 300+ carries):
◽ Joe Mixon
◽ Leonard Fournette
◽ Phillip Lindsay
◽ Saquon Barkley pic.twitter.com/22QKAWEfrK— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) July 24, 2020
Simply put, Mixon has done some incredible things in poor situations while taking care of the football.
On paper, Mixon’s arrow firmly points up in 2020. Maybe the coaching staff doesn’t loop him in more as a receiving weapon. But with a better line, Joe Burrow under center and the potential return of players like A.J. Green, he should still have more room to work with on every snap.
Given that Mixon hasn’t always needed room to excel as one of the best in the past, it’s fun to think about what he might be able to do when the surroundings and gameplans really lean into his talents.
[vertical-gallery id=36093]