Zack Moss’ Style Fits With Zac Taylor’s Offense
Syndication: The Indianapolis Star
For the first time since the waning years of the Marvin Lewis era, Joe Mixon will not be the Bengals’ starting running back.
Taking Mixon’s place will be former Colts’ running back Zack Moss, who signed a two year, $8 million contract on March 13th. The running back looks to be a good fit with Zac Taylor’s offense, and he knows it
“What type of role the running backs have had here in years past and things like that,” Moss said on why he chose Cincinnati. “(The) kind of offense that they run. It’s a good marriage between the two, just my style of play. The runs that I like to run and things of that nature, and they do a lot of the gun personnel and all that type of stuff. So, it was just a good marriage. It made sense. Just excited to finally be a part of it.”
Moss will be paired with 2023 fifth round pick Chase Brown, and they are widely expected to serve as Cincinnati’s one-two punch in the backfield.
Zack Moss is your bruising, short yardage back
Chase Brown is your lethal weapon that cap rip one off at any given moment that you develop into an elite pass catcher
It’s scary to start fresh, but this is the winning combo in a BIG way
I’m excited for this duo #Bengals
— The Ohio Legacy (@TheOhioLegacy) March 12, 2024
While Mixon’s departure to Houston may seem like a downgrade, the rest of Cincinnati’s offense is explosive enough that it doesn’t need to rely on Moss to put up gaudy stats every single week. In addition, Moss also provides a major boost as a pass blocker; his 2023 PFF grade in pass blocking (60.4) was over double Mixon’s 2023 pass blocking grade (29.7).
Moss had a career best year in Indianapolis in 2023; he accounted for 986 all-purpose yards and 7 all-purpose TDs (five rushing, two receiving). He was the starting running back in Indy for a significant portion of the season and even continued to see a fair share of playing time once star running back Jonathan Taylor came back from his injury.
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