Team website hints at feature-back role for rookie
Bengals.com editor Geoff Hobson addressed Joe Mixon in a Q&A with readers Wednesday, Aug. 3: Mixon is the real deal. I think you have to think about him as a 15-to-20-carry-a-game guy with three to five catches. Right away. Sept. 10. Vs. Baltimore. That said, I think they should keep Jeremy Hill. … This guy can still help them. He’s a good back, very good on the goal-line and what a perfect panacea for an offensive line in transition: a stable of three starting caliber backs in Mixon, Hill, and Giovani Bernard. Perfect. Rotate them, make sure you run it 30-35 times to take heat off the young tackles, and how much room do you think that will give A.J. Green and friends? (Bengals.com)
Nerdy Football Analysis: Mixon has done nothing in camp to remove any of the shine off his luster, and the idea of him starting Week 1 should come as a surprise to no one. Whether or not the Bengals want to give him 250 carries and 40 catches is another story, especially since Hill remains an effective goal-line back and Bernard is a very capable receiver. Mixon’s workload in the team’s dress rehearsal (third preseason game) could be telling as to whether Hobson is right.
