HOUSTON – Texans veteran running back Joe Mixon remains sidelined with foot and ankle issues he initially suffered last season and then aggravated working out independently this offseason.
The goal, as reported previously by KPRC 2, is to ramp him up gradually with a goal of having him ready for the Texans’ season opener on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. While Mixon is not expected to do much, if anything during the preseason as far as team activity, per league sources, his big-picture medical outlook remains positive in the sense that he’s been doing “great” and has made major improvements since he first got hurt.
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Mixon is on the non-football injury list and is expected to stay on that list for the majority of, if not the entire preseason
“Yeah, whenever that timeline is right for him to be back, he’ll be back,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said on the first day of training camp.
The back story for Mixon, as reported previously, by KPRC 2, is the former Cincinnati Bengals second-round draft pick was in a walking boot in the spring after getting injured working out on his own. Once he got out of the boot, he wore a lace-up ankle brace to protect him. Over the summer, the Pro Bowl selection significantly improved his mobility and made strides. Mixon missed a lot of time last preseason with a quadriceps injury, but then rushed for a season-high 159 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries in the season opener last year against the Indianapolis Colts
Mixon doesn’t typically play in the preseason. He didn’t normally play in the preseason games for the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Texans followed a similar approach with Mixon since he joined the team in a trade and was signed to a three-year, $27 million extension.
While it’s far from ideal for Mixon to not have snaps to get acclimated to new offensive coordinator Nick Caley’s offense and an overhauled offensive line, the Texans will lean on Nick Chubb and Dare Ogunbowale and Woody Marks in his absence.
Mixon is a key part of the offense, boosting the running game significantly with his tackle-breaking skills and breakaway speed last season. He rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns during the regular season last season despite missing three games with a high ankle sprain suffered on an illegal hip drop tackle that wasn’t penalized, but did trigger a $17,000 NFL fine for Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards.
Mixon, who rushed for three touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys and last season, is expected to be the centerpiece of the running game in a potentially formidable tandem with Chubb. Chubb signed a one-year, $5 million maximum value deal in the spring.
Chubb hasn’t displayed a lot of speed and explosiveness, but does appear to be fully healthy after injuring his knee two seasons ago and having last season cut short with the Cleveland Browns due to a broken foot.
Dameon Pierce remains on the active-physically unable to perform list with a strained quadriceps. J.J. Taylor has been activated after passing his physical.
He had been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his foot since the spring. Dare Ogunbowale, rookie Woody Marks, British Brooks and Jawhar Jordan represent the other current options in the backfield with Mixon sidelined.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
