HOUSTON – As Texans star running back Joe Mixon remains out with a foot and ankle injury he suffered working out away from the football team this offseason, his medical outlook hasn’t changed.
The goal, as reported previously by KPRC 2 days before training camp, is to ramp Mixon 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.
Recommended Videos
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. The Texans open the season at Sofi Stadium on Sept. 7.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans reiterated Monday that Mixon is doing well and took issue with a national report over the weekend that struck a gloomy tone about the Pro Bowl runner’s status.
“Nothing’s changed with Joe,” Ryans said. “Joe is still working in the background. I know we get reports about Joe, nothing’s changed. He’s still working. Whenever it’s time for Joe to be back, he’ll be back. I know a lot of people want to report a lot of things about guys with injuries. My thing is this, ‘Are you really concerned about our guys or are you really just trying to get something out there?’ For me, I always put my players’ health and safety first and foremost. So, I care about the guys. So, you guys don’t hear me talking a lot about injuries because that’s their personal information. Guys are working through that and there’s nothing to report or get in an uproar about.
“Our guys are working and it’s always sensitive to me because I’ve been there. So, you guys don’t hear me talking a lot about injuries because that’s their personal information. Guys are working through that and there’s nothing to report or get in an uproar about. Our guys are working and it’s always sensitive to me because I’ve been there, I’ve went through that. So, it’s not just to report something, to report something, I want people here who truly care about our guys. I care about our guys and what they’re doing throughout their process and it’ll continue to be that way.”
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, Mixon wore a lace-up ankle brace to protect him. That included wearing the brace at a youth football camp closed to media at the Texans’ indoor practice bubble.
Over the summer, the Pro Bowl selection significantly improved his mobility and made strides while rehabbing with his longtime trainer in California. Mixon missed the majority of 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.
A former Pro Bowl selection who ranks third in Cleveland Browns all-time franchise history in rushing behind Hall of Fame running backs Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, Chubb is coming off a broken foot last season and a major knee injury two seasons ago.
“When it comes to Chubb, and how am I comparing him, he’s been through a lot,” Ryans said. “It’s not always going to be the same as his early years in the NFL. But what I hang my hat on with him is that this guy loves football. He’s physical. He plays the right way. He prepares himself the right way. He’s a really sharp guy when it comes to the protection scheme. He’s on it. He’s helping out the guys.
“Danny Barrett is doing a great job of bringing him along and getting him caught up to our scheme. Seeing him today, he definitely showed up in the pads. He’s a guy who can play physical behind his pads. He can eat out yardage. So, I’m excited to see him just play football. That’s what he’s always been. He’s always been a tremendous football player, especially when he’s healthy. So, he’s still working his way back. It looks like he’s in really good shape. He’ll continue to get better now going through camp. Everybody continues to get better the more you go through it, and I see the same with Chubb.”
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.
Ryans, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker and former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with the Texans, dealt with a torn Achilles and other injuries during his NFL career. He took umbrage with reports about Mixon.
“For me, it’s that everybody doesn’t have all the information,” Ryans said. “We have all the information on our guys. So, when you talk about injuries, everybody wants to report about who’s not out here and what they’re not doing. I would like to talk about the guys that are here and the guys who are busting their tails out here on the field in this hot climate, the humidity. Guys are working, grinding.
“I want to highlight these guys who are doing a great job and understand our guys who aren’t out here, guys that are in the back end, they’re doing the same thing. They’re working just as hard as the guys who are out here. I just always think it’s unfair for everybody to always jump to be first to report something about an injury and is not taking that player into consideration.”
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. Ogunbowale, Marks, British Brooks and Jawhar Jordan represent the other current options in the backfield with Mixon sidelined.
While rehabbing his injury at NRG Stadium and attending meetings, Mixon has been providing knowledge to Chubb and teammates to help them during his convalescence.
“He’s super helpful,” Chubb said. “Joe is a vet, too. He’s been in the game a long time. He’s always there for us. Anything we need, he has our back.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
