Joe Mixon trade grades: Texans make under-the-radar move with free agent RB class thinning

In a surprising twist, the Cincinnati Bengals are going to trade Joe Mixon instead of cutting him. They wanted to move on to save money against the cap and decided to release him and sign a cheap alternative. Now, they're not going to release him and instead are getting a deal with the Houston Texans done. It was unexpected, but here's our grade for the surprise swap.

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Joe Mixon trade grades

Joe Mixon was sent to the Houston Texans for Maliek Collins. The teams also swapped picks, with the Texans moving down eight spots in the seventh round of the upcoming draft.

Houston Texans, B+

The Houston Texans might have been able to let Cincinnati cut Joe Mixon and tried to sign him. However, with the free agent class being gobbled up by any and all teams, they felt they needed to ensure they got their guy. They had to pay assets for someone they might have been able to get for a cheap contract, but they didn't risk it.

In Joe Mixon, they get a solid player. Obviously, he's not spectacular at this stage of his career since the Bengals wanted to move off of him. However, he is a solid running back and undoubtedly an upgrade. Maliek Collins is a player that they might've wanted to keep, but it's far from an exorbitant price to pay. Furthermore, dropping eight picks in the back end of the draft is not bad, either.

Dameon Pierce had a major sophomore slump and Devin Singletary outplayed him before leaving in free agency. Really, neither of those players were a longterm fit or someone that can really handle the workload Bobby Slowik wanted. Houston wants to run the ball a lot, and Mixon can handle that well.

Cincinnati Bengals, A+

When a player is expected to be traded or released, teams usually do not jump to trade for him. Why bother sending assets when you could just wait and sign him for a cheaper contract and keep your picks? So when a team says they're going to cut a player and then gets any sort of compensation instead, it's a huge win.

Joe Mixon is headed to the Texas

They moved on to Zack Moss for a lot cheaper of a contract and they snaked some draft compensation for their efforts. This is not a major blockbuster move, but it's one that only great GMs would be able to pull off. This is a fantastic trade for the Bengals. They moved up slightly in a round and got a player back.

Running backs sold like hotcakes yesterday. The market was red hot, but most had found their homes already. Mixon was about to be one of the best options available, and that fact might have led to the trade being completed. Either way, it's a pretty good deal for both parties.