Joe Mixon OUT vs. Browns

UPDATE

The Bengals announced Friday that Joe Mixon is OUT Sunday vs. the Browns. That means Giovani Bernard will get the start with Samaje Perine likely backing him up.

Check back later for the full injury report for Sunday’s clash between Cincinnati and Cleveland.

For the second-straight day, running back Joe Mixon was sidelined at Bengals practice.

Mixon, who missed Wednesday’s session after suffering a foot injury vs. the Colts on Sunday, he was not able to go Thursday, which isn’t a great sign for his availability Sunday vs. the Browns.

However, Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Tyler Dragon saw Mixon dancing at practice today, so perhaps the foot issue isn’t that bad and the team is simply resting him before Sunday.

Typically, head coach Zac Taylor gives us the media an indicator on Friday as to whether injured players are expected to play. So tomorrow could be when we learn what Mixon’s true status for Sunday is, though he obviously needs to practice in some capacity Friday to feel good about his chances of playing Sunday.

However, with the Bengals sitting at 1-4-1 with no hope of making the playoffs, perhaps they’ll be more cautious with Mixon, who signed a four-year contract extension for $48 million in September. There’s no sense in risking a worse injury if Mixon is closer to 50-50 as to if he’ll play, so perhaps the Bengals will sit him this week and maybe even next week vs. the Titans before getting a much-needed bye in Week 9, allowing him to fully recover.

Saying this, if Mixon can play, we should expect to see him Sunday in what hopes to be a bounceback performance for the Bengals after losing their last two games.

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