Zack Moss, an experienced running back, is joining the Bengals on a two-year, $8 million contract. On Monday night, they made their peace and moved on from Joe Mixon in a matter of minutes.
While many are not surprised, some are curious as to why the Bengals would part ways with a previous Pro Bowl player and fan favorite.
The Bengals aimed to increase their run game’s explosiveness. In order to be able to produce longer runs, they were looking to acquire an experienced pass blocker.
Moss is the right person for it. Last season, he had 11 runs of 20 yards or more. With 74 more tries to rush the passer, Mixon managed five runs of 20 yards or more. Moss has 484 career carries at the young age of 26. His tires still have a lot of tread remaining on them. It makes perfect sense for the Bengals to line up Chase Brown and Moss in the backfield.
The Bengals believed they could get a better running back, for less money, and younger as they approached free agency.
They’ve signed three backs with less cap hit than Mixon was projected to have for the 2024 season ($8.9 million), thanks to the re-signing of Trayveon Williams.
In comparison to Mixon (27th), Moss ended substantially higher in yards above expectation (5th), forced more miss tackles, and was a better pass blocker.
Although they are more explosive, the importance of pass blocking cannot be emphasized. For an extended period, Mixon was a good player, but the Bengals needed to let go of the former Pro Bowler.
