HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Matt Corral Likely To Get Majority Of Panthers’ Preseason Snaps

July 16th, 2023 at 8:26am CST by Rory Parks

Although new Panthers head coach Frank Reich has yet to officially declare Bryce Young — the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft — his team’s starting quarterback, there is every expectation that Young will be under center when Carolina takes the field against the Falcons in Week 1. The fact that Young began taking full first-team reps towards the end of OTAs only reinforces that belief.

Veteran Andy Dalton, who signed with the club in March, will presumably serve as Young’s backup. At this stage of his career, Dalton has nothing to gain by playing in the Panthers’ preseason slate, and the team has everything to lose by deploying Young in the preseason. That leaves 2022 third-rounder Matt Corral as the most likely candidate to see the bulk of Carolina’s preseason snaps, as Joseph Person of The Athletic writes (subscription required).

Corral, part of a much-maligned draft class of quarterbacks in 2022, may have already missed his best opportunity to show what he can do in meaningful NFL contests. Given the injuries and underwhelming play that plagued the Panthers’ QB depth chart in 2022, Corral almost certainly would have had the opportunity to take regular season snaps if not for a preseason Lisfranc injury that ended his rookie campaign before it started. Now, with his already limited window to become the Panthers’ franchise signal-caller having been closed by the selection of Young, Corral will want to generate as much good film as he can in the upcoming preseason.

There was already trade chatter surrounding Corral this offseason, though the cost to acquire him at this point would obviously be low in light of last year’s developments. Corral is also reportedly content to remain with the Panthers for the time being since Reich, a renowned QB mentor, is now the head coach. Still, the Ole Miss product may welcome a move to a team that offers him at least some semblance of upward mobility, and Carolina GM Scott Fitterer would be happy to recoup some value for his third-round investment. A strong preseason showing for Corral could therefore be beneficial for both player and team, so it stands to reason that he would get plenty of burn in August’s exhibition contests.

Corral suffered the above-referenced Lisfranc injury during the Panthers’ second preseason game in 2022. Over his two preseason appearances, he completed just 10 of 24 passes for 69 yards, though he earned second-team All-SEC honors during his final collegiate season in 2022, having thrown 20 touchdowns against five interceptions while adding another 11 TDs on the ground.

At present, Young, Dalton, and Corral are the only three quarterbacks on Carolina’s roster.

Latest On Lions’ LB Competition

July 15th, 2023 at 9:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

Expectations will be raised on defense for the Lions in 2023 given the unit’s struggles through much of last year and the team’s investments on that side of the ball this offseason. Those endeavors have set up a notable training camp competition at the linebacker spot.

The Lions have Alex Anzalone in place as an entrenched starter after he parlayed his highly-productive 2022 campaign into a three-year, $18.75MM deal in March. A repeat of his career year would go a long way in helping Detroit make the needed improvements on defense to put the team in postseason contention. Who will be alongside him in the starting lineup remains unclear, however.

The Lions doubled down on their selections of non-premium positions in the first round of the draft by selecting Jack Campbell with the No. 18 pick. That decision made the Iowa product the top off-ball linebacker in the 2023 class, and led to the expectation he would be a plug-and-play starter. OTAs and minicamp demonstrated that the team’s veterans seemed to be in the lead, though, and Campbell still has a long road to a first-team position.

“Probably in 20 other rooms that player is starting and there’s nothing you can do about it as a position coach,” linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard said of Campbell, via Tim Twentyman of the team’s website. “Well, that’s not the case here. If Jack isn’t the top two or three Jack will continue to go through the process of rookie development until he’s hit that mark.”

Detroit also has 2021 fourth-round pick Derrick Barnes and 2022 sixth-rounder Malcolm Rodriguez as options for a starting role. The latter missed signficant time during the spring, allowing the former to take first-team reps alongside Anzalone. Rodriguez proved himself to be productive as a rookie, though, totaling 87 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble despite logging only a 57% snap share. Increasing his workload this year could come as a result of a strong training camp, and doing so would consign Campbell to a special teams role to start the year.

After a standout college career, Campbell (like fellow first-rounder Jahmyr Gibbs) will need to perform at a high level to justify the Lions’ investment in him – and their avoidance of other, potentially more attractive options based on position – in the eyes of many evaluators. His pro tenure will no doubt involve a heavy workload at some point, but he finds himself behind Rodriguez and Barnes on the depth chart heading into his first training camp.

Steelers TE Darnell Washington Unlikely To Play Signficant Role In 2023

July 15th, 2023 at 8:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Steelers added an intriguing member to their tight end group during the draft by selecting Darnell Washington. Their incumbents at the position appear likely to delay his ascent into a significant role as a rookie, however.

Washington was one of several members of a celebrated TE class in 2023 after his three-year career at Georgia. He won a pair of national titles with the Bulldogs, and set new personal marks in receptions (28), yards (454) and touchdowns (two) in 2022. The 6-7, 270-pounder’s draft stock was aided primarily by his high degree of success as a run-blocker, though, and that will no doubt be his path to playing time early in his NFL career.

Pittsburgh has 2021 second-rounder Pat Freiermuth in place as their top pass-catching tight end. The 24-year-old recorded 732 yards last season, the sixth-highest figure in the NFL at the position. He will be complimented by veteran Zach Gentry, whose strength as a run blocker earned him a one-year deal in free agency to remain with the Steelers. The presence of those two will lead to a slow approach on the team’s part as it pertains to Washington.

“It takes a little bit of pressure off Darnell because of what you’ve got in that room,” tight ends coach Alfredo Roberts said, via Joe Rutter of TribLive.com. “As he comes in, he can come in slowly and be allowed to grow. As he does that, I think he can be a real problem for people to handle.”

Washington, 21, saw his draft stock take a hit due to a foot injury, but his stellar Combine performance convinced the Steelers to add him to an already young skill-position group. Many tight ends shoulder small workloads in their rookie campaigns, and the depth at the position in Pittsburgh will give the team the luxury of time in developing Washington. His long-term potential remains intriguing given his size and athleticism, though.

His former Georgia teammate, left tackle Broderick Jones, is likewise in danger of beginning the 2023 season out of the starting lineup. The latter faces considerable expectations after the Steelers traded up to select him in the first round, but veteran Dan Moore impressed during the spring. Padded practices will commence during training camp, giving Washington an opportunity to earn a larger workload ahead of his rookie season.

No Decision Imminent On Roger Goodell Extension, Tom Brady Raiders Ownership Endeavor

July 15th, 2023 at 7:09pm CST by Adam La Rose

July 20 will be a highly important date on the 2023 offseason calendar, with a ratification vote on the sale of the Commanders set to take place. That summit will not include serious discussions of a few other key league matters.

Owners are not expected to arrive at a final resolution on the topics of commissioner Roger Goodell‘s extension or Tom Brady‘s attempt to become a minority owner of the Raiders during the upcoming special league meeting, per Mark Maske of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Neither of those agenda items have as much urgency as the expected transfer of Commanders ownership to Josh Harris, a process which may have encountered a last-minute roadblock.

News of another new deal for Goodell first came out in March, and it has since been confirmed that it will be finalized at some point this offseason. The deal will keep Goodell under contract through 2027, and bring his tenure past the two-decade mark. The 64-year-old is also expected to begin identifying his successor, one who will no doubt be tasked with continuing Goodell’s efforts in growing the league’s revenues to an unprecedented degree. Maintaining the status quo for the intermediate future represents an obvious priority for the NFL’s owners.

Brady is aiming to join that group by creating a new partnership with Raiders owner Mark Davis. The pair already have a working relationship given their shared stake in the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, which has led to speculation Brady could join the Raiders in a playing capacity. Instead, the seven-time Super Bowl winner is eyeing a hands-off role in the front office, something which will require specific approval from the league’s other owners. As is the case on the Goodell front, though, plenty of time remains for Brady’s Raiders agreement to receive the green light.

The Commanders sale – which the NFL scheduled for late July, rather than early August, demonstrating the optimism surrounding the prospect of a ‘yes’ vote – will of course be a milestone event in the franchise’s history and a major checkpoint on the league’s summer docket. Informal conversations related to the Goodell and Brady situations could certainly take place in Minneapolis, but more serious consideration will come down the road.

Rookie DT Jalen Carter Faces Further Civil Charges Stemming From Fatal Crash

July 15th, 2023 at 5:34pm CST by Ely Allen

Despite his criminal proceedings wrapping up in a plea agreement back in March, Eagles rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter still faced a civil lawsuit stemming from a car crash that resulted in the death of teammate Devin Willock and a Georgia recruiting analyst, Chandler LeCroy. That original lawsuit was filed by Devin Willock Sr., the father of one of the deceased, but he now faces further civil charges being filed by another former recruiting analyst, Victoria S. Bowles, who was injured in the accident.

Willock’s original lawsuit for $40MM, targeted Carter specifically for $10MM. The suit noted two other occasions during which Carter received citations or tickets. It had also been reported that Carter’s driver license was suspended at the time of the accident. Carter had received misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing, paid a $1,013 fine, and is currently serving 12 months of probation, a fairly light sentence that seemed to indicate a lack of responsibility.

Bowles’s lawsuit levies a more severe allegation. According to Alan Judd of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bowles alleges that “Carter illegally left the scene without rendering aid to those injured in the crash.” The lawsuit says that Carter “was jointly responsible for the crash and had a legal duty to remain on the scene.” It details that, “instead, in part obviously fearful of bad publicity and the effect on his NFL draft status, he hoped not to be questioned or take any responsibility for his actions.”

It’s unclear what specifically is being sought from Carter in this suit, but Bowles is reportedly seeking reimbursement for over $170K-worth of medical bills as well as unreported amounts for future expenses, wage loss, mental and physical pain and suffering, and punitive damages. The lawsuit detailed the injuries sustained by Bowles in the crash as “broken vertebrae and ribs, a fractured clavicle, and broken and cracked teeth; lacerations to her kidney and liver; a punctured and collapsed lung; abdominal bleeding; neurological damage from a head injury that causes severe eye pain; and a spinal-cord injury that could progress to permanent paralysis.”

Whatever isn’t being sought from Carter, Bowles is suing the university’s athletic association for. Bowles’s complaint includes screenshots of texts from program officials permitting Bowles and LeCroy to take the recruiting SUVs used in the accident to their personal residences overnight. She asserts that the athletic association overlooked LeCroy’s “deplorable driving history and habitual operation of motor vehicles at high and unsafe speeds.”

Specifically, the lawsuits points to an incident in which the staffer who granted the two permission to take the vehicles home was a passenger as LeCroy received a ticket for driving 77 mph in a 55-mph zone, her fourth such violation in six years and the second that qualified for enhanced penalties due to Georgia’s “super speeder” law. For the same incident, a separate Georgia staffer “asked a court clerk to reduce the speed on the ticket” to avoid those enhanced penalties, a precedent that Bowles claims “gave LeCroy an understanding that the association would continue to intervene on her behalf in relation to future speeding violations, thus encouraging and facilitating her high-speed driving and reckless conduct.”

Carter’s initial reported involvement in the incident, combined with a poor showing at the school’s pro day, led to a number of teams taking Carter off their draft boards entirely. Eventually, the Eagles decided to trade up for him after an evaluation process which did not include extensive vetting of the crash. He has since signed his four-year rookie contract with the Eagles, which has a total value of $21.81MM.

Unlike the Willock-suit, the athletic association isn’t calling the claims “baseless,” but they are choosing to “strongly defend (their) position” by claiming that neither LeCroy nor Bowles “were on duty or acting within the scope of their employment in the hours leading up to the accident.” The initial response does not address the overlooking of LeCroy’s driving history.

Similar to the Willock-suit, Carter’s representation “did not immediately respond” to the lawsuit. It’s unclear whether Carter and his team will deploy the defensive tactics that the university has chosen to adopt or if he will be more cooperative. Regardless, the resolution of both lawsuits is something to keep an eye on as Carter begins his professional career.

Chargers Rumors: Ekeler, Johnston, Salary Cap

July 15th, 2023 at 4:19pm CST by Ely Allen

Within a limited salary cap, as other positions begin to see an increase in the average value of their contracts, the space in the salary cap for those increases has to come from somewhere. As positions like quarterback and defensive tackle are reaching new highs, it seems that the value of running backs is slowly diminishing.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler went on The Rich Eisen Show this week to voice his opinion on the situation. Ekeler is entering a contract year and was interested in renewing his deal for more time in Los Angeles. When it became clear that the Chargers weren’t willing to meet his demands on a new deal, they allowed him to seek a trade. Unfortunately for Ekeler, it soon became apparent that no one was willing to meet his demands, sending him back to the negotiating table. Without extending his time with the team, Los Angeles did show a bit of their appreciation for Ekeler, reworking his contract in a way that allows him to make more money in 2023 through incentives.

Ekeler understandably left the situation frustrated with the development of the running back market. His view is that running backs carry the ball and impact the game more and that they’re not getting compensated in a corresponding fashion. While he certainly has a point, being concerned that top running backs are getting nearly the money they should be able to, the overall market of the position is being dragged down by the success of its younger players. Due to the recent successes seen by running backs on rookie contracts, several teams feel much more comfortable going to the draft for their primary rushers, making them less inclined to pay out large contracts to veterans, regardless of their caliber.

As a result, Ekeler sees backup wide receivers making more money than him, despite their lesser impact on the team’s success. It’s an unfortunate development that, this offseason, has resulted in contract disputes from four of the league’s top-eight running backs in yards from scrimmage last year.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of Los Angeles this summer:

  • The Chargers used a first-round pick on wide receiver Quentin Johnston this year, and there is not an expectation that he will be coming off the bench much as a rookie, according to Daniel Popper of The Athletic. Despite Josh Palmer stepping up in a big way during his sophomore season while position leaders Keenan Allen and Mike Williams each missed some time with injury, Popper expects Johnston to jump Palmer for the WR3 role at some point this year. Johnston has some development to undergo still before claiming the spot, but Palmer’s absence in the spring (due to injury) certainly helps Johnston’s case. Popper expects the position battle to take place in training camp, and he expects Johnston to eventually win out.
  • Additionally, Popper addressed the team’s reluctance to spend on free agency this offseason despite having a little more the $12MM in open cap space for 2023. It’s a popular opinion that the Chargers are already looking ahead towards the 2024 season. Next year, four players will have cap hits over $30MM, and that’s not including quarterback Justin Herbert who, if forced to play out his fifth-year option, would hold a $29.50MM cap hit in 2024. Instead of spending their money this summer on contracts that may have an impact into next year, Los Angeles may be angling to take advantage of rollover cap space. According to Popper, “teams are allowed to roll over any unused cap space from one season to the next.” $12MM of rollover could do a lot towards what could end up being a pricey 2024 season. In contrast, the highest cap hit the team is dealing with in 2023 comes in at $17MM.

AFC South Rumors: Titans, Rader, Perryman

July 15th, 2023 at 2:21pm CST by Ely Allen

The tight ends room in Tennessee is going to look very different from recent years, according to Titans senior writer/editor Jim Wyatt. In addition to a new instructor, as former running backs coach Tony Dews takes over the position coaching duties, some main contributors from the past few years are no longer present.

With Austin Hooper and Geoff Swaim both hitting the free agent market this past spring, second-year tight end Chig Okonkwo has inherited a massive leading role. Okonkwo already put himself on the map as a rookie, outgaining Hooper with 450 receiving yards, good for second on the team. His three receiving touchdowns led all tight ends in Tennessee last year and were also good for second on the team. Already expected to take a step forward in 2023, he’ll receive a lot more targets with Hooper now in Las Vegas. Swaim, the team’s former primary blocking tight end, was also not re-signed, so the Titans will be looking for Okonkwo to step up as a blocker, as well.

Behind Okonkwo, the team signed Trevon Wesco, who has served as a backup tight end and special teamer for the Jets and Bears, previously. They also drafted Josh Whyle out of Cincinnati in the fifth round this year. Both should provide a bit of depth behind Okonkwo, and while Whyle was a strong redzone target for the Bearcats in college, neither tight end threatens to take many snaps away from Okonkwo.

Here are a few other rumors coming out of the AFC South:

  • The Titans have been known to respect the tight end position and are certainly a candidate to keep four on the roster. With Okonkwo, Wesco, and Whyle likely safely on the 53-man roster, who might end up snagging that last roster spot? The likeliest pick would be Kevin Rader who started two games in 14 appearances for the Titans last year. He didn’t record any offensive stats in 2022, but he was a strong special teams contributor and a solid extra blocker on the line. His competition for the potential roster spot will be former XFL player Alize Mack, Justin Rigg, whom they signed to a reserve/futures contract at the end of last season, and Thomas Odukoya, the team’s International Pathway program addition from the Netherlands.
  • After two strong years with the Raiders, veteran linebacker Denzel Perryman landed with the Texans. Only a year removed from a Pro Bowl season, it was a bit of a surprise to see his newest contract only amount to a $2.6MM base salary. According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Perryman expected a much bigger free agent market for himself before settling for his deal in Houston. The Raiders ended up replacing him with Robert Spillane, a former backup in Pittsburgh, paying Spillane with a two-year contract that has a $3.5MM average. So, why the disappointing return for Perryman? Perryman is an all-around better linebacker than Spillane, but he’s older and has missed at least five games in three of the last six years. Perryman’s new contract includes a $900K incentive based on playing time that would end up paying out $3.5MM if he can stay healthy.

K Robbie Gould Has Talked With Teams, Intends To Keep Playing

July 15th, 2023 at 11:20am CST by Ben Levine

Robbie Gould‘s stint with the 49ers came to an unceremonious end this offseason, but the veteran kicker is still open to work. The 40-year-old free agent told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that he’s talked with several teams and is remaining patient as he awaits his next gig.

“I know training camp is coming up and I’m ready for the next opportunity,” Gould said. “And I’m sure these teams will give these young kids a chance and find out who has a chance to compete. I think things will get a lot more serious. But, yeah, I’m ready to go and looking forward to the next season.”

Despite being one of the oldest active players in the NFL last season, Gould still showed that he’s got plenty left in the tank. He got into all 17 games for the 49ers, connecting on 84.4 percent of his field goal attempts and 50 of his 51 extra point tries. He was also perfect in the playoffs, connecting on all eight of his field goal attempts and all five of his XP tries.

While Gould was a productive option for the 49ers in 2022, the kicker announced after the season that his tenure with the organization had ended and he’d be seeking a new landing spot this offseason. According to the veteran, the change wasn’t his decision.

“I would’ve loved to have gone back there,” Gould said. “I told them I wanted to go back there. We never got an offer from the team and we never had a conversation about coming back.”

The 49ers made it clear that they were pivoting towards the future during the draft. The organization first selected Michigan’s Jake Moody in the third round, making him only the second kicker (along with Roberto Aguayo) in the past 15 years to be selected in the top-100. The organization also pulled off an offseason trade for Zane Gonzalez, setting up a competition at the position.

As a result, there would have been little room for Gould in San Francisco’s kickers room. Ultimately, the former Pro Bowler’s stint with the 49ers lasted six seasons, and he’ll leave the franchise ranked fourth in all-time scoring (704 points).

Considering Gould’s apparent desire to continue his playing career, it shouldn’t take all that long for him to find a new job. With 266 career regular season games under his belt, a front office will surely come knocking if their younger options show some cracks during training camp or the preseason.

This Date In Transactions History: Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas Sign Extensions

July 15th, 2023 at 9:39am CST by Ben Levine

With the deadline looming for extension-eligible players, two of the league’s top wideouts signed lucrative extensions with their organizations on this day eight years ago. On July 15, 2015, Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas signed new deals with their squads.

The two 2010 first-round WRs were slapped with the franchise tag before they could hit unrestricted free agency, and negotiations with their respective teams hadn’t necessarily gone smoothly. In fact, the NFL Players Association threatened to file a collusion complaint against the Cowboys and Broncos over the lack of extension progress, and both Bryant and Thomas began teased holdouts as the July 15 deadline approached.

Ultimately, both players ended up getting their desired pacts from their new squads, with the duo seeking deals that approached Calvin Johnson‘s $16.21MM average annual salary. Bryant and Thomas ultimately signed similar five-year, $70MM deals; the two players were previously attached to franchise tags worth $12.8MM.

At that point of his career, Bryant had established himself as one of the league’s elite wideouts. At the time of his signing, Bryant hadn’t missed a game in three seasons, and he was coming off his third-straight campaign with at least 88 catches and 12 touchdowns. He took it to another level during his contract year, hauling in a career-high 16 touchdowns while tying a career-best 15.0 yards-per-catch mark.

Unfortunately for the receiver and the Cowboys, that 2014 campaign that preceded his extension was the last time Bryant would earn an All-Pro selection in his career. His 2015 season was limited to only eight games while he dealt with a lingering foot injury, although he did return to Pro Bowl status in 2016 after finishing with 50 catches and eight touchdowns in 13 games. Bryant managed to revert to his durable self during the 2017 season, appearing in all 16 games. However, his 12.1 yards-per-reception mark set a new career-low, and with two years remaining on his deal, the Cowboys moved on from the wideout.

Bryant joined the Saints for the 2018 season, but he ended up missing the year thanks to a torn Achilles. He sat out the 2019 season while seeking a new job before catching on with the Ravens in 2020. He caught six passes in six games for Baltimore, and he hasn’t earned an NFL contract since that gig.

The Broncos got a bit more production out of their extension with Thomas. Prior to signing his new deal, the receiver was coming off a three-year stretch where he averaged 99 receptions, 1,494 receiving yards, and close to 12 touchdowns per season (he added another five scores in five playoff games). While Thomas would never hit those numbers again, his first season under his new deal was still plenty productive. The wideout finished the year with 1,304 receiving yards and six touchdowns before earning his lone Super Bowl championship.

Thomas would only have one more 1,000-yard season after 2015. Despite losing Peyton Manning under center for the 2016 season, the receiver still earned a Pro Bowl nod after compiling 1,083 yards. Inconsistent QB play led to Thomas finishing with only 949 receiving yards in 2017, and with the Broncos eyeing a rebuild in 2018, Thomas was traded to the Texans. Following a brief stint with the Patriots during the 2019 preseason, Thomas caught on with the Jets, hauling in 36 receptions in 11 games. After not playing during the 2020 season, Thomas announced his retirement.

Teams are naturally cautious when it comes to handing out big-money extensions. You can’t blame the Cowboys nor the Broncos for extending their star wideouts, but it also shouldn’t have come as a huge surprise that neither player ended up completing their deals with their respective teams.

Bengals, Joe Mixon Finalizing Restructure

July 14th, 2023 at 10:04pm CST by Ely Allen

Possibly in danger of becoming a cap space casualty, running back Joe Mixon agreed to restructure his contract in order to remain with the Bengals, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The veteran rusher will return for his seventh season in Cincinnati in 2023.

Mixon’s uncertain future with the team has been a topic of discussion over the last few months. If the team had decided to cut the former Pro Bowler, they stood to save over $7MM by releasing him and over $10MM if they did so as a post-June 1 cut. The Bengals had already seen the departures of running back Samaje Perine, tight end Hayden Hurst, and safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates III, but with a big money addition like offensive tackle Orlando Brown and a new contract for linebacker Germaine Pratt, it seemed like Cincinnati might need to start nickeling and diming where it could. This point seems even more prudent when considering the young star talent like quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who both will need hefty new contracts in the near future.

It became public knowledge that the Bengals would pursue a pay cut for Mixon months ago. In 2020, they had signed the tailback to a four-year, $48MM contract that made him a top-five paid running back in the league at the time. After Mixon rewarded the Bengals’ faith in him with a career-year that saw Mixon reach career-highs in rushes (292), rushing yards (1,205), and rushing touchdowns (13), the Bengals seemed content carrying Mixon into 2022 despite an $11.42MM cap hit. A $12.76MM cap hit in 2023 after missing three games and only amassing 814 rushing yards last year was going to be a tougher pill to swallow. A misdemeanor charge in April didn’t help things.

Still, head coach Zac Taylor vouched for the 26-year-old, establishing that Mixon’s future was “with the team,” and the front office continued to try to work towards an agreeable number on a pay reduction. As time went on, it began to seem that the only route that led to Mixon retaining his roster spot was a pay cut. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic laid out that “Mixon was always going to either take a paycut (sic) or decide to take a walk.” In the end, the franchise’s first ever successful restructured contract, according to Dehner, resulted in Mixon staying put.

The deal is not only beneficial for Mixon, who gets to remain in the only NFL home he’s ever known. The Bengals also get some security at the running back position. Even with Mixon still in the fold, Cincinnati was looking into the addition of experienced rushers to supplement the group behind Mixon. Returning backups Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans combined for 30 rushing yards last season, and rookie fifth-round pick Chase Brown is the only other back expected to make the 53-man roster. The lack of experienced depth behind Mixon is troubling, but if Mixon were to have left, it would’ve left Cincinnati in a desperate position.

Instead, Mixon returns to a very clear role as RB1. The team may still add another veteran running back for depth down the line, as it’s hard to see Mixon in a three-down role in 2023, but the Bengals secured what is likely the most important piece in their rushing game in a way that benefits both parties. Mixon takes less money than he was originally due but avoids what has been a treacherous running back free agency market in the process.

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