CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals running back Trayveon Williams has a good sense of when a good run turns into a great one.
Once he gets past the first level of defenders and gets to the linebackers, he knows exactly what the stakes are.
“You make that second guy miss,” Williams said. “And then when you really get into space, it’s like, ‘OK, this is the one.’ That’s obviously when big things happen.”
The problem is the Bengals didn't get enough of those big plays on the ground last season.
Cincinnati considers an explosive rushing play to be 12 yards or more. The team’s running backs had 14 of those in 2022, tied with Houston for the lowest in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Bengals know that number must increase if they want to have one of the league’s best offenses this season.
"That'll be critical for us this year,” quarterback Joe Burrow said at the end of the team’s mandatory minicamp in June. “We all know teams plan to play us with how they played us last year and the end of the year before.”
Burrow is referencing the defensive formations that were aimed at stopping the number of big plays through the air. When Burrow recovered from his torn left knee ligaments in 2021 and the team added Ja’Marr Chase, the passing attack was among the league’s most explosive.
That season, Cincinnati had 16 touchdowns on completions of 25 or more yards, the highest amount in the NFL. The Bengals also had a league-high 8.7 yards per passing attempt. Eventually, opposing defensive coordinators took notice and often positioned two safeties at the back of the formation, forcing Burrow and the Bengals to methodically move down the field.
Creating big carries on the ground could force defenses to commit more players to stop the run, opening things up in the passing game.
Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan pointed out in June that the Bengals had an efficient rushing attack in 2022. But now the biggest point of emphasis for Cincinnati’s offense is being explosive on the ground and not just efficient. Turning five-yard carries into ones that go for 15 or 20 yards is paramount.
“That’s where people get nervous,” Callahan said.
Opposing teams are more than happy to let the Bengals run rampant on the ground. Last season, Cincinnati faced seven or fewer defenders on 51.9% of its offensive snaps. That rate of “light boxes” was the fourth highest in the league, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Bengals know they need to punish opposing defenses and create more pass-friendly looks.
“We're excited about the run game and the running backs that we have,” Burrow said in June. “And we're excited about the offensive line that we have and we'll be able to hit some explosive runs this year and get teams out of those boxes.”
Toward the end of last season, Callahan said the Bengals did a better job of blending their running formation while Burrow was in shotgun, an aspect that remained a point of emphasis this offseason. Cincinnati’s 172 rushing yards — and two designed run plays of 12-plus yards — in January’s AFC divisional playoff win against the Buffalo Bills was the type of performance the Bengals want to have in 2023.
Joe Mixon, who is entering his seventh NFL season, will have to lead a better rushing attack. Since 2021, just 8.4% of Mixon’s carries are for 10-plus yards, which ranks 40th among 46 running backs during that span.
Samaje Perine, Mixon’s back-up the last two seasons, signed a two-year contract with the Denver Broncos that included $3 million guaranteed this offseason. Williams, who re-signed with the Bengals on a one-year deal, will be in the mix to get more carries. Rookie Chase Brown and veteran Chris Evans enter training camp as other options in the backfield.
But no matter who is carrying the ball for Cincinnati this season, the point still remains.
“Explosive (plays) are everything,” Williams said. “Explosives really dictate an average offense and an amazing offense.”