Should the Bengals pursue Aaron Jones if Joe Mixon is cut?

Aaron Jones and Joe Mixon could both be cut soon. Should the Bengals consider a RB swap?

The deadline for the Cincinnati Bengals’ ultimate decision on Joe Mixon is March 18th, when his 2024 $3 million roster bonus becomes guaranteed.

That may not seem like a big deal, but it essentially means the team may as well keep him on the roster since they won’t save as much cap space.

What may help them make that decision is if they see a replacement already on the market like say, Aaron Jones from the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers are running into a more extreme example of what the Bengals are with Mixon. Jones is set to have around a $17 million cap hit this season. That simply just doesn’t work in today’s NFL. Green Bay also has one of the youngest teams, so they could afford it, but they could also use that space for a veteran at a position with more impact.

To say the running back position will be a buyer’s market is an understatement. Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, and Austin Ekeler are all set to hit the open market as of now. Those are just the top-end names as well. Some of those guys will get big deals as far as running backs go, but some of these guys are going to linger on the market.

Aaron Jones missed six games last years, so his numbers were down from 2022 when he had over 1,500 total yards. He only managed just over 850 total yards, but he averaged 5.2 yards per touch, which is something Mixon hasn’t done since his second season.

And we can’t forget about how well Jones played in the postseason, which saw the Packers hammer the Cowboys, then came up painfully short of beating the 49ers. In those two games, Jones totaled 226 rushing yards on 39 carries (5.8 avg) and three touchdowns.

One area where Jones won’t provide much of an upgrade is pass-blocking. While he has a significantly higher grade there — 61.0 compared to Mixon’s 29.7 — he only had 19 pass-blocking snaps last season compared to 71 for Mixon. That would suggest Jones isn’t a good pass-blocker and the Packers avoid having him do it as much as possible. If the Bengals move on from Mixon, they’ll ideally find a back who’s better at protecting Joe Burrow.

Even if the Bengals don’t end up with Jones, him entering the free agent class makes it easier to find a possible replacement for Mixon at a reasonable cost.

What say you Bengals fans? Let us know!