Mixon has been thriving during his first season in Houston.

Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has been thriving during his first season as a member of the Houston Texans, and he’s extremely happy with how he’s being utilized in Houston compared to how he was used in Cincinnati.

Joe Mixon seems to think that the Bengals failed to maximize his skill set

During a recent appearance on The Exhibition podcast, Mixon appeared to call out the Bengals while explaining the difference in his usage between the two teams.

“When it come down to it I’m going to do what the coach wants me to do, but at the same time I’m going to play football. That’s just what it is. You’re not gonna turn me into a robot,” Mixon said, via Sports Illustrated. “You’re not gonna turn me into a person that… That’s not what I do.

“One thing that I can appreciate here [in Houston] is they utilize my skill set. I’ve always been a threat in the passing game and one thing about here, they give me my screens. They give me my choices, they give me flat routes that I can take. They give me all types of combinations. They utilize me.”

It appears as though Mixon is not-so-subtly saying that the Bengals failed to maximize his full skill set by underutilizing him in the passing game. Clearly, he thinks that the Texans have done a better job of unlocking his full potential.

For what it’s worth, Mixon had 64 total targets and 52 receptions with the Bengals last season. He has 34 targets and 23 receptions with the Texans so far this season. He’s averaging a career high 20.6 carries per game this season.

The Bengals traded Mixon to the Texans in March for a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in a move that the team probably regrets. While Mixon has been a big boon for Houston’s ground game, the Bengals have had one of the least productive rushing attacks all season. As a team, the Bengals are averaging the sixth-fewest rushing yards per game league-wide with 91.5. Mixon himself is averaging 87.3 rushing yards per game this season.

As an organization, the Bengals should be doing everything possible to maximize the roster around quarterback Joe Burrow, who is playing at an elite level. Trading Mixon for pennies on the dollar is antithesis to that.

Mixon was clearly upset by the Bengals’ decision to move on from him over the offseason, and he appears to be on a mission to show the team it made a mistake. So far, he’s succeeding.