With longtime face of the Cincinnati Bengals backfield Joe Mixon off to the Houston Texans, Cincy needed to find a replacement.
What should Bengals and NFL fans know about newcomer Zack Moss? Here’s a closer look at the newest member of the running back room for the Bengals.
Who Is New Bengals Running Back Zack Moss?
At 26, Moss becomes a younger option to help replace Mixon.
He’s a former third-round selection who went 86th overall to the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 NFL Draft. That class witnessed names like J.K. Dobbins, Antonio Gibson, Cam Akers, D’Andre Swift, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Jonathan Taylor all come off the board. And every single one of those names has been involved in free agency or trade chatter since the 2023 season.
But Moss been a well-traveled back in his career. The former Utah Utes star is now on his third NFL franchise.
He spent two seasons with the Bills before eventually heading to the Indianapolis Colts via trade in 2022. That deal saw Buffalo earn a conditional sixth-round draft pick for the 2023 draft.
Moss spent the rest of 2022 and all of 2023 with the Colts before hitting free agency.
Moss’ Contract Details
How much are the Bengals handing Moss?
By joining Cincinnati, he agreed to a two-year deal worth $8 million. That means Moss will earn $4 million annually plus have $3 million guaranteed.
According to Spotrac, Moss will earn a 2024 base salary of $1.125 million. He also carries a dead cap of $3 million and a $1.5 million signing bonus.
This becomes the richest contract Moss has signed. With the Bills, he agreed to a rookie deal of four years for more than $4.6 million.
That Buffalo deal included more than $914,000 in guaranteed money.
Moss’ Career Stats
How much has the 5’9″, 205-pound veteran played?
Moss has seen action in 53 total games with 11 starts. He was given his most action last season while teaming with Taylor, starting in a career-high eight games.
His 2023 campaign also saw new career-highs in rushing yards (794) and touchdowns (five). He even carried the ball for a personal-best 183 times while briefly filling in for Taylor.
Outside of his ’23 production, Moss has two 400-yard campaigns on his résumé. He racked up 481 yards in his NFL debut in 2020. Two seasons later, Moss tallied 456 yards. However, 365 of those yards came after the trade to the Colts.
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For his career, Moss has recorded 484 carries, 2,076 yards, and 14 touchdowns.
Moss even brings a receiving element to the Bengals. He’s caught 75 career passes for 523 yards and has scored four times in the passing game. He went on to reel in a career-best of 27 catches for 192 yards and scored twice.
While Mixon has put together the more decorated career, Moss is coming off a seven-touchdown campaign. This signing points to Cincinnati potentially adding to the RB room via the NFL Draft. Nevertheless, Moss adds a versatile veteran element to the Bengals’ backfield.
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