I'm going to present to you an idea that might seem outlandish at first but hear me out. I believe the best way to protect Joe Burrow is with a strong running game. We are focusing on trying to get linemen than can protect him, and yes, obviously that is necessary. But even more important is to have a strong running offense. Giving Joe a designed run-focused offensive playbook could allow him to thrive even more. We see glimpses of that; like against Buffalo. To accomplish this, however, we need a bold and creative change of mentality by management and ZT. Enter:

RB ZACH CHARBONNET, UCLA

If I ever dropped my jaw seeing highlights of a player it was him. This guy is unbelievable. He will hopefully be available in the 1st round for us. I say we drop Mixon (trade), and build our offense around this guy. This will also allow us to not be dependant on having Higgins, who in all likelihood, will have to walk because we won't be able to pay him. Jackson Carman looks like an upgrade to Williams, and he also is a better run blocker than pass blocker. We either switch Williams to RT or draft a run blocker in the 2nd round. The only thing we would have to focus on for the next 10 years is keeping the three headed monster of Burrow, Chase, and Charbonnet. I know this is way out of the realm of rational thinking, but just watch this kid. I know, we have other needs to draft in round one, yada yada.