Injuries elevate Walton in Bengals backfield
CINCINNATI — Bengals running back Joe Mixon appears on track to return to action Sunday after missing the last two games because of a knee injury, but rookie Mark Walton’s role could continue to increase.
Walton was active for the first time two weeks ago and got his first carries last week in a 37-36 win at Atlanta. But with Giovani Bernard out for two to four weeks with an MCL sprain, it looks like Walton could carry a bigger load Sunday when the Bengals (3-1) host the Miami Dolphins (3-1).
Walton, a Miami native and product of the University of Miami, finished with five carries for 9 yards and two catches for 28 yards, including a 24-yard grab on the Bengals’ third scoring drive for a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. Walton played the week before against the Panthers, but had no carries or catches.
“It felt good just going in, not knowing how much I was going to play, and they called my name to go in, and it felt great to get a groove from the preseason to the regular Bengals running back Mark Walton, breaking free against the Colts in the preseason, got his first carries of the regular season in last week’s win over the Falcons.
season and now getting in a groove with the guys and making plays for the team,” Walton said. “I’m just trying to continue to do that.”
Walton, a fourth-round pick, appeared on offense for seven snaps two weeks ago at Carolina and had his one carry (for 7 yards) wiped out by an Alex Redmond holding penalty. Last week
at Atlanta, he played 28 of 73 offensive snaps (38.4 percent).
“He’s been doing a great job,” Mixon said of Walton. “He’s young, but we’ve been doing whatever we can to prepare him for what he’s going into. Last week was his first week actually getting the ball and taking those reps, and he’s getting the
speed down, he’s getting the physicality down and the mentality that he needs to go in and approach the game with.”
Walton said Mixon’s guidance was helpful coming from a guy who was just in his shoes a year ago. The 5-foot10, 202-pound back also has learned a lot from Bernard, who is similar in build at 5-9 “He’s young, but we’ve been doing whatever we can to prepare him for what he’s going into. Last week was his first week actually getting the ball and taking those reps, and he’s getting the speed down.” and 205 pounds and also hails from south Florida.
Walton and Bernard are from powerhouse high schools not far from one another — Walton coming out of Booker T. Washington High in Miami and Bernard from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.
“Right when I got the call to come here, Gio was the first one to reach out,” Walton said. “I just started studying what Gio does and what helps him in this offense, and I started studying what helped Joe. I’ve just seen some things with Gio, he’s really at a disadvantage being 5-9, but he’s a tough dude. It’s just running tough and just making the best of what we do, making the right reads, hitting the holes on point. We’ve just got to be tough when we’re running the ball inside the tackles.”