Bengals RB Zack Moss ready to help fill 'big shoes' left by Joe Mixon in Cincinnati backfield

The Cincinnati Bengals plan to replace Joe Mixon‘s production with a combination of veteran Zack Moss and second-year speedster Chase Brown in a thunder-and-lightening approach.

Mixon carried the workload most of the previous seven seasons, including taking 257 carries for 1,034 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023. Moss, who inked a two-year contract with the Bengals this offseason, saw the most reps in his four-year career last season in Indianapolis. He rushed 183 times for 794 yards and five touchdowns in eight starts when Jonathan Taylor was injured.

“I think it is big shoes to fill in that sense of things,” Moss said of replacing Mixon in Cincy, via the Dayton Daily News. “But like I said, my job is not to worry about the past and things like that, it’s to go out there and do my job at a high level, and whatever my job looks like, that’s what I’m trying to do and be as consistent as I can be at that.”

After two-and-a-half seasons playing behind Devin Singletary in Buffalo, Moss was traded to Indy in 2022, where he spelled Taylor when needed.

Moss anticipates sharing responsibilities in Cincinnati with Brown, who displayed impressive speed at times in his rookie year. Brown is expected to be the pass-catching choice from the backfield, capable of producing significant plays.

“Moss stated, “We’re certainly two distinct types of running backs. As I’ve mentioned before, he’s exceptionally quick. However, I believe this will be beneficial for our offense, keeping the defense on their toes. Plus, it ensures our players stay fresh throughout the year and such. So, as I’ve said, I’m eagerly anticipating further developing our chemistry.”

In Moss’ perspective, sharing carries is not a negative thing.

Moss stated that throughout most of his career, he’s typically shared playing time with another player, which is quite common in the league currently. He mentioned that there are only a couple of players who shoulder the entire backfield responsibilities alone. Moss noted that he doesn’t concern himself with this, instead, he looks forward to seeing his teammate Chase grow and succeed in the league. He said when it’s his turn, he plans to perform similarly. Having two backs, in his opinion, simplifies the game. He referred to his previous experience in Indianapolis with J.T. Taylor, stating that Taylor’s return from injury made the game easier and led to the wearing down of defenses. Moss aims to draw from this experience to assist his current team.

Mixon’s performance in the past couple of seasons could be surpassed in terms of consistency and big-play potential by the combination of Moss and Brown in the Bengals’ backfield.