The race to decide who will be the Houston Texans’ lead running back may have gotten a bit closer.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Texans running back Joe Mixon will miss “an extended period of time” while dealing with a foot injury. Mixon had already been on the Texans’ non-football injury list to start training camp, but Saturday’s report added clarity to a potential timeline for the running back’s return.
Texans free agent signing and fellow running back Nick Chubb could have a chance to take the starting job from the incumbent Mixon. Chubb signed with Houston during OTAs, months after a broken foot ended his 2024 season early.
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Details behind how Mixon’s foot injury happened have not been reported yet, but NFL insider Jordan Schultz added that he will miss “multiple weeks of training camp.” The 2024 Pro Bowler is hoping to return to the field in time for Week 1.
Mixon had a strong first season in Houston in 2024 after spending the first seven years of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He recorded 1,016 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 245 carries (4.1 yards per attempt), enough to earn him his second career Pro Bowl nod.
Joe Mixon injury history
Mixon has dealt with a variety of injuries in his eight-year NFL career. Many of them have been to parts of his lower body, and he did suffer a previous foot injury in 2020 that ended his season early that year.
Here’s a full timeline of injuries:
2017: Mixon suffers concussion in Week 13 against the Pittsburgh Steelers and misses two games while going through the NFL’s concussion protocol.
2018: Mixon undergoes arthroscopic surgery on his knee after experiencing discomfort in a Week 2 game against the Baltimore Ravens. He returned to action three weeks later.
2020: Mixon suffers season-ending foot injury during a Week 6 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
2021: Mixon sustains two ankle sprains during the 2021 season, neither of which caused him to miss any time
2022: Mixon misses two games after suffering his second career concussion, once again against the Steelers
2024: Mixon sits out three games early in the season after injuring his ankle during what he and Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans believed was a hip-drop tackle.
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Texans RB depth chart
The Texans have many running backs on their active roster at the start of training camp.
Here are the seven tailbacks Houston has to choose from, including several young players and a few veterans:
Joe Mixon
Nick Chubb
Dameon Pierce
Woody Marks
Dare Ogunbowale
J.J. Taylor
Jawhar Jordan
Mixon and Chubb are the two free agent investments the Texans have made at the running back position in free agency during the last two offseasons. They appear to be the two leading backs competing for the starting job, though Mixon has the clear advantage coming off of a 1,000-yard, Pro Bowl season in 2024.
Pierce was the Texans’ fourth-round pick in 2022 and had a breakout season as a rookie. But by 2024, he had been relegated to a backup role.
The Texans selected Marks with a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft. The USC product is fresh off of a 1,133-yard, nine-touchdown season for the Trojans.
Ogunbowale is back for another season with the Texans after signing a one-year deal in the offseason. He is generally a bigger contributor on special teams than on offense, though he did score a game-winning receiving touchdown in Week 4 last year before making his lone start of the season in Week 5.
Taylor and Jordan are returning practice squad players that the Texans re-signed to reserve/future contracts in January.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Mixon injury: Texans RB to miss time with foot issue
