The Houston Texans have made a variety of changes and additions around their roster this offseason to effectively give this group a breath of new life on both ends of the field, and perhaps could act as the tweaks necessary to keep this group a consistent force en route to their third-straight AFC South victory for the first time in franchise history.
However, as the Texans take on their next season with training camp now setting less than a month away, Houston may still have one question to ask themselves before entering the year ahead, which may inevitably have a major effect on how high the ceiling is for this group's performance.
In the eyes of Sports Illustrated analyst Gilberto Manzano, the biggest question for the Texans heading into training camp may center upon one spot on the roster: How much do the RBs have left?
"Joe Mixon will turn 29 later this month and has had at least 210 carries in the past four seasons, including last year in his first season with the Texans when he rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. The team recently added help, signing of Nick Chubb, but the 29-year-old running back struggled to find his top form last year after returning from a significant knee injury sustained in 2023. There’s also Dameon Pierce, but he hasn’t proven to be a consistent playmaker in recent seasons. Perhaps Houston gets some juice from rookie fourth-round pick Woody Marks."
The Texans' running back room certainly has the name value heading into next season. The combination of Joe Mixon and Nick Chubb certainly has its appeal, and at the peak of their powers would undoubtedly be the best backfield duo across the entire NFL.
However, now it's 2025, and both Mixon and Chubb have had their injury troubles in recent years, the latter's being significantly more impacted, and it's fair to wonder just what type of production Houston might be getting behind C.J. Stroud this next season, especially as the both enter the second half of their pro careers. Chubb is fresh off an injury-ravaged past two seasons, and Mixon had been dealing with a foot issue earlier through OTAs and minicamp.
It might be a wait-and-see situation to find out just how strong this Texans rushing offense is, but it's nothing short of a critical factor in just how well Houston can start and finish next season.
If the Texans' new duo can emerge among the top-ten ranked rushing attacks in the NFL, that could be among the steps Houston can take to get this offense back on track. In the event things struggle though, the offense as a whole could unravel quickly.
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