Hill, Mixon dominate the backfield in Bengals' preseason opener

Jeremy Hill managed 26 yards on seven carries, and Joe Mixon rushed six times for 31 yards and caught an 11-yard pass in the Bengals' preseason opener.

Giovani Bernard (knee) sat this one out, so Hill largely dominated work with the first-team offense.

Mixon did mix in on the Bengals' opening drive, however, and he has a lot of room for movement up the depth chart.

In both the run and pass games, the difference between Hill and Mixon is night and day.

Hill played first, but Mixon mixed in twice on the Bengals' opening drive and appears to be a part of the first-team offense, even if he's not yet the "starter." Mixon showed nifty feet and superb vision on his carries and turned a short checkdown in the flat into an 11-yard gain by breaking a pair of open-field tackles. The rookie also executed in blitz pickup.

It's only a matter of time before Mixon takes over this backfield.