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          Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon (ankle) day-to-day, coach Zac Taylor says

          • Ben Baby, ESPN Staff WriterOct 4, 2021, 03:17 PM
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              Ben Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN's NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor's degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
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          CINCINNATI -- Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon has been diagnosed with a low-grade ankle sprain, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

          Mixon, who had 16 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown, was injured late in the Bengals' 24-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last Thursday.

          During his Monday news conference, Bengals coach Zac Taylor classified Mixon as "day-to-day" and said he was among the injured Cincinnati players "trending in the right direction" ahead of Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers.

          Taylor said not to be surprised if Mixon is limited during Wednesday's and Thursday's practices while the team looks to give his ankle time to heal. "I know he wants to play and will do everything he can to put himself in that position," Taylor said.

          A source told Schefter that Mixon is likely to be week-to-week while he recovers from the injury. Taylor said Mixon's current ailment is different from the foot injury that caused him to miss the final 10 games of the 2020 season.

          If Mixon can't play against the Packers (3-1), Samaje Perine and Chris Evans will likely receive the bulk of those offensive snaps. Perine, a veteran, re-signed with the Bengals this offseason to be the team's primary backup. Cincinnati drafted Evans in the sixth round of this year's draft.

          Perine is the only Bengals running back besides Mixon to register carries this season, logging nine of them for 28 yards.