Bengals replace Joe Mixon with 2,000 yard rusher

The Bengals made the bombshell decision to release Joe Mixon, and they wasted no time filling his shoes.

With the start of NFL free agency upon us, there have already been plenty of bombshell moves that have given fans their fix of the riveting drama that comes with the offseason. However, even during a time in the season when surprises abound, the Cincinnati Bengals shocked the world when reports came out that they had decided to release Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon, saving around $6 million in cap space in the process.

And it didn't take long for the Bengals to sign their replacement for Mixon. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Bengals are signing former Indianapolis Colts running back Zack Moss to a two-year, $8 million deal that includes a $4.525 million payout in 2024.

There is no question that Moss is a downgrade from Joe Mixon; but for that price, the Bengals may be hoping to squeeze a little more production from the 26-year old running back than what he produced for the Colts in recent seasons. And only 26 years old, Moss might have room to improve yet.

In 2023, Zack Moss only started eight of the 14 games he played for the Colts. He tallied 794 rushing yards on 183 attempts, which is good for an average of 4.3 per game, and he also scored five touchdowns. Moss actually tallied more yards per game than Joe Mixon did for the Bengals last season, so perhaps Cincinnati is looking for a more efficient option as they rely more heavily on the passing game.

Nonetheless, the Bengals' decision to replace Joe Mixon with Moss won't be something that sits well with the fanbase, at least in the immediate aftermath of this decision. Mixon has been a huge part of the team since 2017, and he has been a huge part of how the Bengals have created space for Joe Burrow. And Mixon is just 27 years old, so he's right in the prime of his career.

Mixon, in two seasons (2018 and 2019), was able to match or even surpass Zack Moss' career production in total yardage (Moss has tallied 2,076 total yards for his career, Mixon had 2305 total during those aforementioned years). Nonetheless, only time will tell if the Bengals' decision to replace Mixon with Moss is the correct one, especially when the 2021 Pro Bowler's production has declined a bit in recent years.