There’s no guarantee that either Joe Mixon or Samaje Perine will be back under center for the Cincinnati Bengals in 2023.
Perine is set to become a free agent. There’s a possibility that Mixon could be released to save cap space to pave way for other signings and extensions, most notably for Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
The duo is more than familiar with one another; they both played college football together at Oklahoma and were drafted just two rounds apart from each other in the 2017 NFL Draft. They’ve been together in Cincinnati since the 2020 season and even played in a Super Bowl together last year.
Nothing is guaranteed in a business like the NFL. While both could be back, neither return or only one stays, both certainly made strong cases for why they should remain with Cincinnati.
However, in a world where both are back with the Bengals in 2023, who should start behind Burrow next season?
Aside from making a case for being in Cincinnati next year, both players each made their own respective cases for why they should the starting RB1 for the Bengals. That was a debate that became a point of discussion last season and that could resurface again within the coming weeks and/or months.
The Strictly Stripes crew evaluates how Mixon and Perine respectively performed last year, weighing the pros and cons between both backs. Running back Trayveon Williams, who’s also set to hit free agency, also put together a strong showing at kick returner in place of fellow running back Chris Evans. Should the Bengals keep Williams and have him compete for that spot once again?
This podcast features Mohammad Ahmad and Andrew Gillis.
Music: Starfields by Hallman
Music Link: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/nQ9ldbVF7D/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices