The Bengals have had arguably the worst start of any team. Their first-round pick, left tackle Jonah Williams, is out for the year, and A.J. Green has an ankle injury that likely will sideline him for some regular-season action. But let’s not kick this offense to the curb just yet.
The Bengals have handed over the offense to Zac Taylor. While he’s a 36-year-old with limited experience (he was a quarterbacks coach with the Rams last year) he might have some innovative ideas about how to more aggressively attack defenses.
Joe Mixon says the offense will surprise people.
“The film speaks for itself,” Mixon says in the Dayton Daily News. “You see the Rams running wild all day. We’ve got that same offense. I would think we have better players than them with these offensive weapons. I would think we can do the same stuff, if not more, than they can.”
If the Bengals can do a poor man’s impersonation of the Rams, Mixon should be a top-10 running back. He’s not as proven as Todd Gurley, but he’s healthier.
The injury to Williams (the first tackle selected) is big, but the Bengals might be able to upgrade their blocking with scheme changes. They’re supposedly thinking about using more formations with two blocking tight ends. They’ve got Tyler Eifert (who’s more of a pass catcher) but the running game might work better when C.J. Uzomah and rookie Drew Sample are on the field.
It’s early. For now, I haven’t moved Mixon significantly on my board. But he’s among the many I will be interested in seeing on the field in the preseason.
—Ian Allan