It might be time to start asking some tough questions about Joe Mixon and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Mixon is again listed as out on the team’s final injury report, this time for the Week 11 matchup with the Washington Football Team. Bengals coach Zac Taylor had classified the star running back as “day to day” earlier in the week.
But this latest twist as Mixon battles a foot injury means he hasn’t suited up since Week 11, where he took 18 carries in a loss to Indianapolis.
Given the length of the running back’s absence, it’s worth wondering why the team didn’t put him on injured reserve. ESPN’s Ben Baby asked Zac Taylor about that recently:
Last week, I asked Zac Taylor about not initially putting Joe Mixon on injured reserve, where the Bengals RB would have missed three weeks. Here's what he said on Nov .13. pic.twitter.com/AbHy7VYJgO
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 20, 2020
In other words, it sounds like Taylor and Co. thought Mixon could be back sooner, yet remain in a precautionary stance.
Baby added the following from Taylor, who was asked if he’d handle this differently in hindsight: “I’ll be honest. I don’t care what people are asking. We just try to make the best decisions for the club and the player and that’s the decision we made.”
Otherwise, Taylor won’t commit to Mixon actually returning to the field this year:
I asked Zac Taylor if he thought he expected Joe Mixon to be back at some point this year. Said he didn't want to make any predictions on that. https://t.co/EL9835CIs7
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) November 20, 2020
Taylor’s staff being seemingly overly cautious with player injuries isn’t anything new at this point — think, A.J. Green in training camp or the apparent approach with Geno Atkins this year. The head coach also got burned last year with the endless Green saga.
But at this point, it’s fair to wonder if Mixon will even take the field again this season. The foot injury is a nagging one the team is clearly worried about and it’s not like the Bengals are playing for playoff positioning (though Taylor could be potentially coaching for his job). If it’s that worrisome, risking a freshly-extended ‘back on a big contract might not make the most sense from the team’s perspective.
While relentless injury sagas aren’t new under the Taylor regime, Mixon’s is captivating regardless as the Bengals close out the season — even if he doesn’t take the field again.
