The Cincinnati Bengals have done a good job of upgrading the offense around quarterback Joe Burrow. He has an elite wide receiver group headlined by Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Irv Smith Jr. was signed in free agency to replace Hayden Hurst, who departed Cincinnati for the Carolina Panthers.
Most importantly, the team has invested heavily in the offensive line over the last two offseasons. Injuries decimated the unit during the 2022 season, but the front office has done its job to shore things up once again, signing Orlando Brown Jr. and Cody Ford this offseason. When healthy, the Bengals offensive line has a chance to be a great unit.
If the team wants to take even more pressure off of Burrow, finding more success on the ground is a good strategy. There will be some work to do in that regard as their backfield lacks explosive options. Last season, the Bengals averaged only 3.8 yards per carry, which was 29th in the NFL.
Samaje Perine departed in free agency, signing with the Denver Broncos, which leaves Joe Mixon as the only established running back on the roster. Mixon has had some very good seasons in Cincinnati, but he has never been an explosive runner. His 1.5 yards after contact per carry in 2022 was a career-low and 35th in the league, which is a sign that things aren’t likely to improve.
The Bengals aren’t currently in a position to move on from Mixon, as there isn’t another starting-caliber running back on the roster. But, designating Mixon as a post-June 1 cut candidate would save the team $10 million.
With that in mind, the Bengals should seriously consider making a run at running back Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers granted Ekeler permission to seek a trade and Cincinnati should make a call and gauge the prices.
Ekeler is an elite dual-threat running back and much more explosive than Mixon has ever been. In 2022, he recorded 18 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns, averaging 4.5 yards per carry and 1.9 yards after contact per carry.
What could it cost the Bengals to acquire Ekeler? Cincinnati could offer Los Angeles a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and see if that gets the deal done. In the final year of his contract, the Chargers can’t expect a return like the Panthers received for Christian McCaffrey from the San Francisco 49ers. Given their salary cap concerns heading into the future, a third-round pick is very valuable.
For the Bengals, adding Ekeler to their already-explosive offense would make them even more dangerous. He would help take pressure off of Burrow and the passing game while also providing the team with another weapon in said passing game. A skill-position group of Ekeler, Chase, Higgins, Boyd and Smith would be a headache for opponents to try and slow down every week.
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