Running Back Position Preview: Joe Mixon Leads Way With Plenty of Talent Behind Him

Mixon had a career-high 1,205 rushing yards last season.

Mike Santagata | Aug 2, 2022

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Cincinnati Bengals

Over the past decade, the running back position has gone from a focal point of offenses to a role player. Modern analytics have pushed the idea that running backs are very replaceable. While there is some truth to what they are saying, elite talent is elite talent, regardless of position and Joe Mixon is a premiere player on this Bengals offense.

After reuniting with his former run game coordinator in Frank Pollack, Mixon saw career-highs in both total yardage and in touchdowns. This outstanding performance led to his first ever Pro Bowl nomination, although he would not attend due to playing on a Super Bowl team.

It's possible he could have been named an AP second team All-Pro behind Jonathan Taylor, but they didn't even select a second running back for the team. However, he was named an All-Pro by Pro Football Focus and Sporting News, but those are not the official.

Mixon did all of this damage behind a porous and injured offensive line that more often than not forced him to make something out of nothing. Despite this, he could still showcase his powerful running style because of his patience, burst, and ability to read the defense.

In 2021 Joe Mixon put on a clinic on how to run wide zone pic.twitter.com/Cv1b5Ww0Kd
— mike (@bengals_sans) July 19, 2022

What Makes Him Special

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) jogs between drills during Cincinnati Bengals training camp practice, Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, at the practice fields next to Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp Aug 1 0013 — © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Mixon might have the best vision in the entire NFL. His ability to set up defenders and know where he will need to go is uncanny. He’s also a very patient runner who showcases a fantastic jumpcut when he needs to finally hit the hole. This combination of vision, setting up the defense, patience, and burst to hit the hole makes Mixon special. Essentially it's everything that he does before he hits the line of scrimmage.

When he does hit the hole, it is typically violent. He loves to bring the pain to the defense. He's a 220 pound running back and he wants the defense to feel that on every carry. Over the course of a game, there are defenders who will lose some desire for trying to tackle him because of the violence and size of the young back.

His vision is best probably best showcased in the wide zone system that the Bengals utilized under center in 2021, but it’s also on display when they run duo and inside zone from the shotgun, which is pretty important because the Bengals have indicated that it’s a strong possibility we see more shotgun this upcoming season.

Where He Can Improve

Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon (28) runs into the end zone as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple (20) runs behind him during Cincinnati Bengals preseason training camp at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp 654 — © Albert Cesare / The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Mixon needs to get better at the mental side of pass protection. He’s willing and pretty good when he is able to line up the defender and just block them. The issue is that he lets up too many free runners. If he can shore up his pass protection, he'll reach his full potential as a workhorse running back.

Other Notable Names

Cincinnati Bengals running back Samaje Perine (34) shares a laugh with Cincinnati Bengals running back Chris Evans (25) as they participate in drills during Cincinnati Bengals training camp practice, Monday, Aug. 1, 2022, at the practice fields next to Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bengals Training Camp Aug 1 0014 — © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Samaje Perine will most likely retain his duties as the pass protection back. He’s not the most exciting name, but he is the best on the team in pass protection. Hopefully, Mixon can become more dependable in this area so that we don’t see Perine on 3rd-and-1 in the Super Bowl again, but overall Perine’s a fine player.

The other name to know is Chris Evans, who is an exciting young player that could become a pass catching specialist. He’s very athletic and is the fan favorite of the backup running backs. Evans could even steal Perine’s job as the passing down running back if he shows something in camp. However, he's still raw and last year he couldn’t be relied on as much as some would have hoped.

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