Duke Tobin discusses the status of Joe Mixon and DJ Reader

Duke Tobin sounds like he is a fan of bringing D.J. Reader back in some capacity.

Teams have gathered in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine. It is a chance for draftees to meet and show off for teams, teams to get to speak directly to one another, and the media’s first chance to talk to higher-ups about what is to come this offseason.

For the Cincinnati Bengals, the guy to talk to is director of player personnel Duke Tobin. He is what other teams would call their general managers. He may not solely call the shots, but he gets plenty of say.

Two players that have been the topic of discussion are running back Joe Mixon and defensive tackle DJ Reader.

First up are his comments about his current starting running back, who is set to account for $8.85 million of Cincinnati’s cap, according to Over the Cap. The team could save $6.1 million in space by cutting him to allocate that space to a different position. Here is what Tobin has to say:

“In terms of predicting anyone’s role going forward, I’m not going to do that up here on this podium,” Tobin said with a smirk via Caleb Noe. “Those are roster-building strategies, and those are things we are talking through as this [offseason] unfolds with every player on this roster. [I’m] really proud of Joe [Mixon] and the season he had… He put us in a position to have a chance.”

Tobin is avoiding giving a real answer at this point, which makes sense. They aren’t rushed into a decision quite yet. The team usually won’t make such a move unless they have another one in mind. The idea he isn’t outright denying it, similar to his Tee Higgins comments from last season, could mean something probably shouldn’t be taken any farther than to think they are discussing all possibilities.

Then there is Reader, who is coming off a quad injury from late last season. He is set to hit the open market, but the timing of that injury just sucks for his chances of getting a big long-term deal. Tobin was a bit more optimistic with his defensive veteran.

“Are we talking to him? We are talking to him,” Tobin said via John Sheeran. “He is in the building every day rehabbing, trying to get himself into a position to have another successful season. He’s been through this injury [torn quad] before on the other side, so we think he’s going to get through it and be just fine. But we are talking to him like we are with a lot of our [unrestricted free agents], seeing if there is an opportunity to get them signed back.”

The Bengals usually avoid players about to enter their 30s coming off major injuries. Reader will be 30 years old by the time the next season starts, but odds are Reader will miss sometime anyway on his way back from this injury.

What’s working for this from both sides is that Cincinnati would love to have Reader back on a shorter deal, and Reader probably would like to keep the consistency of the group that rehabbed this same injury with success. Not to mention a shorter deal allows Reader to prove he still has it before hitting the open market again for at least one last decent payday.