Though Mixon (knee) has been cleared to play Sunday against the Dolphins, coach Marvin Lewis said the 22-year-old could be eased into the backfield mix in his return from a two-game absence, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
After requiring a scope of his right knee Sept. 15, Mixon proved his health by practicing Wednesday through Friday, concluding his preparations for Sunday with a full participation in the final session of the week. While it appears all is sound with his knee, Mixon's conditioning took a hit while he rehabbed the injury, so Lewis may not be eager to hand the second-year back a massive workload right away. Unfortunately for the Bengals, change-of-pace option Giovani Bernard (knee) won't be available to relieve Mixon after sustaining an MCL sprain that will likely sideline him for 2-to-4 weeks, so it appears rookie Mark Walton will handle the top backup role against Miami.