Reasons the cowboys Might Gain From the Trade of Joe Mixon

A former Pro Bowl running back could be a “upgrade” for the Dallas Cowboys.

Joe Mixon, the running back for the Cincinnati Bengals, is a player that the Cowboys may acquire in a trade, as SB Nation’s LP Cruz proposed. In Cruz’s trade proposal, Mixon would be acquired by Dallas in exchange for a third-round draft pick.

“Mixon has some tread left on the tire, but he is a few years removed from a Pro Bowl season in 2021 when he rushed for a career-high 1,205 yards and entered his eighth NFL season,” writes Cruz. “As a running back, Mixon can play in all three phases and should help an experienced team like Dallas improve their backfield. Considering that the Bengals were prepared to split,

Why the Cowboys Could Benefit From Joe Mixon Trade

In Cruz’s scenario, the Cowboys would basically allow Tony Pollard to walk in free agency while replacing him with Mixon. Dallas would also complement Mixon by selecting a rookie running back in the 2024 NFL Draft, with the University of Michigan’s Blake Corum mentioned as a possible candidate.

The 27-year-old Mixon has served as the Bengals’ starting running back since his rookie season in 2017, starting 88 of his 97 career appearances. While Mixon has never really been considered an elite running back, he’s been a consistent one, posting four 1,000-yard seasons in the past six years while racking up at least seven touchdowns in each of the past three years.

Moreover, he has caught at least 42 receptions in each of the previous three seasons, making him a respectable receiving threat out of the backfield. Among all running backs, Mixon actually ranks fourth with 154 receptions since 2021.

Even if Mixon is a good choice, the Bengals might choose to let go of their dependable running back. He is about to approach the final year of his deal, and by cutting him loose, Cincinnati can avoid paying a dead cap hit of more than $2.75 million while saving almost $5.8 million.

The chatter actually garnered a response from Mixon on social media, with the former second-round draft pick saying that those rumors were around last offseason also.

If Mixon is on the Bengals’ roster on March 18, his roster bonus worth $3 million kicks in.

While the Cowboys could certainly acquire Mixon via trade if they show interest, it may become a more realistic possibility of Cincinnati simply releases him. In that scenario, Dallas could then sign Mixon and do so at a bargain rate.

Pollard showed that he could handle the load as the full-time back during the 2023 season, starting all 17 games for the first time in his career while posting another 1,000-yard season. However, his efficiency declined drastically in the full-time role, going from averaging 5.2 yards per carry and 6.7 yards per touch during the 2022 season to 4.0 yards per carry and 4.6 yards per target during the 2023 season.

While the market for running backs isn’t great, Pollard could secure a decent deal from another team. If that ends up being the case — Spotrac projects Pollard’s market value to be $6.5 million per year across two seasons at a total of $13 million — Dallas could opt to go the cheaper route and sign a bargain-level veteran running back.

The idea of the Cowboys adding Mixon is definitely an option, but it’s more likely if they can simply sign him to a deal of their choosing rather than give up a valuable draft pick in exchange for his current contract.