Bengals to Release Joe Mixon, Sign Zack Moss, per Report

The Bengals are making some changes at running back.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ backfield will look plenty different in 2024.

The Bengals are reportedly set to release veteran running back Joe Mixon ahead of the new league year on Wednesday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

With Mixon no longer in the picture, Schefter reports that Cincinnati intends to sign former Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss to a two-year deal. Moss’s contract with the Bengals will be worth $8 million, including $4.25 million in 2024.

Mixon, 27, was a second-round pick by the franchise in 2017 and has spent his entire career with the Bengals. In 2023, he featured in all 17 games and racked up 1,034 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. It was his fourth season with 1,000-plus rushing yards, and he’s logged 29 touchdowns on the ground over the last three seasons. 

He’ll hit free agency for the first time in his career and joins the open market at a position which has already seen plenty of movement with the legal tampering period officially open.

As for his replacement, Moss enjoyed a breakout season in Indy’s backfield in 2023 prior to the return of Jonathan Taylor, who started the year on IR. In all, Moss made eight starts and featured in 14 games, recording a career-high 794 yards and five touchdowns. 

Moss figures to share the workload in Cincinnati with Chase Brown, who is entering his second season and impressed in flashes as a rookie.