Texans RB Joe Mixon reportedly not expected to play this season due to foot injury
The Houston Texans do not expect to have Joe Mixon available this season as he deals with a foot injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Mixon was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list in late August and has not played this season.
Mixon's foot injury kept him out of offseason OTAs, minicamp and all of training camp. Nick Chubb and Woody Marks have been the Texans' main running backs, both playing 10 games and each taking 99 carries.
The Texans have been mum on what exactly Mixon is dealing with in his foot. After the running back was placed on the NFI list, general manager Nick Caserio said the team would take it "one day at a time." During an appearance this week on SportsRadio 610, he said there still was no update on Mixon's recovery and called it's a "very gray situation."
It's not that I'm trying to be evasive, it's just a very gray situation," Caserio said. Joe's worked at it. There were times where he's made progress and other times when the progress is kind of stalled. Players in his situation are on the reserve list until they're not. Joe's doing everything he can. Obviously we're getting pretty late in the game here, so I don't want to establish any sort of expectations."
Mixon was traded to Houston last offseason after seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. During the 2024 season, Mixon racked up 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Texans' starting running back, earning his second Pro Bowl nod as a result.
The 29-year-old Mixon is signed through the 2026 season and carries a $10.5 million salary cap hit. He is due $8 million in salary and a $2 million signing bonus next season, according to Spotrac.
With Chubb and Marks taking over at the position, Mixon's future in Houston is in question and it will remain that way until whatever is affecting his foot is figured out.
"A month ago or whatever it was, I mentioned we'd have a better idea in three or four weeks, or whatever it was," said Caserio. "I don't think we have any more clarity at this point. I think at this point he's out until he's not. It's a very gray, a lot of ambiguity, there's not a lot of clarity, it's nobody's fault, it's just the reality of the situation."