For the first time since 2016, the Bengals have a starting running back not named Joe Mixon.
It was a solid seven years in Cincinnati for Mixon, but his time with the Bengals came to an end in the 2024 offseason. Mixon now headlines the Texans' ground game, and the Bengals replaced him through free agency.
Mixon made a strong first impression for Houston in the team's Week 1 win over the Colts, finishing with 159 rushing yards and a touchdown.
As the Bengals prepare to take on the Chiefs in Week 2, here's a reminder of why they chose to part ways with Mixon and what Cincinnati's running back room looks like now.
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Why did the Bengals trade Joe Mixon?
The Bengals were originally going to release Mixon, who also drew speculation in the 2023 offseason about a potential departure from the team. Cincinnati wanted to move on from the veteran for financial reasons, as they would have freed up $6.1 million by releasing him, per NFL Network.
However, the Bengals wound up going with a different method than releasing Mixon. In March, they traded him to the Texans in exchange for a seventh round pick.
Around the same time, RB Zack Moss, who had 794 rushing yards with the Colts in 2023, signed a two-year, $8 million deal with the Bengals. With Moss' $4 million average annual value (AAV), Cincinnati was saving some money at the running back position compared to Mixon.
"I gotta say it was definitely shocking," Mixon said about the Bengals letting him go, per ESPN. "I took that 24 to 48 hours to hurt. It took a while and I'm still having emotional feelings about it. But that's the place where I can forever feel like that's home for me."
It remains to be seen if Moss can maintain the production Mixon had with the Bengals throughout his seven seasons with the team, but the decision was made with cost-cutting in mind.
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Joe Mixon contract details
Soon after his arrival, Mixon signed a three-year extension with the Texans worth $27 million. The deal included $13 million guaranteed, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
According to Over the Cap, Mixon is currently the sixth-highest paid running back in the NFL based on AAV. He ranks behind Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs.
In 2023, Mixon had 1,034 rushing yards and 12 total touchdowns while playing in all 17 regular season games. The only season of his career that he's played less than 14 games was in 2020.
Mixon, 27, will continue to play a significant role for Houston while the Bengals focus on their new group at running back.
Bengals RB depth chart
Here's a look at Cincinnati's depth chart at running back, where Moss currently leads the way as the starter.
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Zack Moss |
| 2 | Chase Brown |
| 3 | Trayveon Williams |
| 4 | Chris Evans (IR) |
In Week 1, Moss led the way with nine carries for 44 yards and a touchdown against New England. While there was some offseason speculation around if the second-year back Brown would also see first-team reps, Moss looks like he has a grip on that job for now.
Brown ran the ball 44 times for 179 yards last season and was a fifth-round pick in 2023.
Williams and Evans, who's currently on IR, are Cincinnati's depth pieces in the backfield. Both have been with the team for at least three seasons.