Houston Texans fans have had reason for consistent concern when it comes to the health of star running back Joe Mixon. The veteran came to H-Town with a reputation for missing games, and he ended up sitting out three contests early on in 2024, but he played the rest of year and into the playoffs without any major issues.
However, in the offseason, the back was seen wearing a walking boot, raising questions about the nature and duration of the injury. While the boot might be gone, Mixon still isn't fully healthy, as joined the non-football injury list in camp on Wednesday.
#Texans RB Joe Mixon is on the Texans Non-Football injury list per source.
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) July 23, 2025
The Texans Continue to Provide Concerning Joe Mixon Updates
It is hardly reassuring that we are two weeks away from the preseason starting, and Mixon is yet to be fully healthy for the 2025 campaign. Perhaps this is why the franchise opted to add another rusher with so much starting experience in Nick Chubb.
Signing Chubb appeared to be a great buy-low opportunity for a franchise struggling to find offensive consistency. Chubb's ceiling offers you an incredible duo of rushing options. Yet, it is now fair to wonder if there was a bit more to the decision.
Mixon spending time on the NFI list is an instant red flag at this point in the offseason. Even with the team indicating nothing alarming is happening, it is far from ideal. The star back is a key piece of the Houston offense, having the potential to swing games and provide much-needed balance for franchise quarterback C.J. Stroud.
However, the Texans are still in great positioning in the weakest AFC division with a strong RB2 now behind the star. The most important piece of this is having Mixon fully healthy whenever he does fully rejoin the team. Houston is a roster with aspirations of making a deep playoff run, not just winning a bad division and remaining content with another playoff exit.
With this in mind, the Texans are making the right decision by being very cautious with the back, waiting for full health to return before meaningful reps are given. For Chubb, this serves as an opportunity to continue to establish himself as a viable option in the Houston offense. Still, it is a concern fans will unquestionably be keeping a close eye on as preseason nears.