Mixon To Be More Involved In The Passing Game?!

[BFritz21]

Mixon was third in the league in rushing yards last season and fourth in touchdowns scored, but ESPN thinks we can get more out of him by using him on third down and in passing situations more.

It sounds good in theory because, even since his days at Oklahoma, Mixon's always been a solid receiver, but do we risk overusing him? I agree with maybe using him more, especially with an improved line, so he doesn't have to help pass block, but does he really need to be in on third downs or out running route on early downs and tiring him out when we might need his fresh legs late to close out games?

Would we even need to use him more? Would it be worth the risk? Taylor seemed to say the same thing:

Quote:“To make a statement that we can get more out of Joe [Mixon] in the passing game, that's got to pull from somewhere,” Taylor said on May 31 following an offseason workout. “Then we'll be talking about why there wasn't as much production from Ja'Marr [Chase] or Tee [Higgins].”

Might not be enough balls to go around.

Quote:He rushed for a career-high 1,205 yards, the third-highest in the NFL last season. Tack on his totals from the passing game and Mixon finished the year with 1,519 yards from scrimmage and 16 total offensive touchdowns, putting him fourth among all NFL running backs in each respective category.

But the bulk of that damage was done on the ground. He ranked 18th among running backs in receiving yards and 25th in total targets.

Being on the field in more passing situations, specifically on third downs, could increase Mixon’s potential target share. But Mixon’s current usage makes that a tricky situation.

Last season, Mixon was on the field for 64% of Cincinnati's total team snaps, which was the fourth-highest among all running backs, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. And the large majority of those snaps came during a fresh set of downs.

Mixon was on the field for 75% of the team’s first and second downs while Samaje Perine, the team’s second-string running back, had a 16% snap share in those circumstances. But on third downs of three or more yards, those numbers flipped. Perine received 64% of the snaps while Mixon’s share dropped to 17%.

Like I said, I'm torn on this because I want Mixon to be happy and get his numbers, but why wear him down if we don't need him to be more involved?

Quote:“If we’re going to take [Mixon] out on a down, I rather take him out on third down so he’s good for first and second down, ultimately,” said Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan.

Like I just said, keep him fresh for early downs.

Quote:The current structure leaves Mixon off the field in some potential high-leverage situations, such as a key third-and-1 late in Super Bowl LVI where Perine was stopped for no gain. Callahan seemed to suggest there was room for some flexibility in ’22 that allows for Mixon to see more third-down snaps while balancing his overall workload.

That was a horribly call to take Mixon out and I think hat cost us an opportunity at winning the game.

Quote:“You’re never going to have him take that many snaps, especially if you want to keep him fresh over the course of the season,” Callahan said. “But at the end of the day, I’d like to see maybe a little bit more usage for him on third down.”

Yeah, don't need to use him all the time on third down, but sometimes the situation calls for situational play calling/game management.

Don't be Marvin.

Quote:Mixon's thoughts on the topic are unclear. He did not speak to reporters following Super Bowl LVI and did not hold any press conferences during the team’s offseason workouts.

Let's hope we get him involved more but that he also understands that he's better if we keep him fresh.

With an improved line, Mixon should have a HUGE year!