The Rookie RB's Preseason Tracker

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Joe Mixon rushed six times for 31 yards and caught an 11-yard pass in the Bengals' preseason opener.

Jeremy Hill played first, but Mixon mixed in twice on the Bengals' opening drive and appears to be a part of the first-team offense, even if he's not yet the "starter." Mixon showed nifty feet and superb vision on his carries and turned a short checkdown in the flat into an 11-yard gain by breaking a pair of open-field tackles. The rookie also executed in blitz pickup. It's only a matter of time before Mixon takes over this backfield.

Joe Mixon rushed six times for 16 yards in the Bengals' second preseason game.
Jeremy Hill once again got the start, but Mixon was in on the Bengals' opening drive. Hill was more effective, turning his six carries into 28 yards. For the the summer, Mixon has taken the rock 12 times for 47 yards (3.91 YPC). Hill is proving more stubborn than expected, but Mixon is still the early-season touch favorite in the Bengals' backfield.



Week 3

Joe Mixon rushed eight times for 31 yards in the Bengals' third preseason game.

Jeremy Hill once again got the "start," while Giovani Bernard was the second back in the game, but Mixon got snaps on the Bengals' opening drive. He was the offense's most impressive back, showing balance and explosion. He did commit a boneheaded fumble, failing to look the ball in on what may have been a miscommunication with Andy Dalton.

Just a heads up, Hill has an ankle injury from this game, so Mixon may get a shot to really shine in the last game and push to start.

 

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He has to hang onto the ball if he wants to play for the Bengals.

 

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Coach Kyle Shanahan called fourth-round RB Joe Williams' fumble issues this summer "alarming."

"If you can’t hold onto the ball it’s very tough to play in this league," Shanahan said. "He’s had a few of them. So that definitely is alarming. Something we have to get fixed." Williams put the ball on the ground in the preseason finale Thursday night and has battled butter fingers in camp. He fumbled seven times in two seasons at Utah. Williams looks buried on the running back chart.