Texans’ RB Room in Flux Amid Joe Mixon Injury

The Houston Texans running back room enters the 2025 season looking a bit differently than initially expected just a few months ago.

Rather than last year's starter Joe Mixon being the one to take the reins as the Texans' lead running back for Week 1 of the season, Mixon will instead begin the year on the sidelines amid his lingering foot injury suffered this offseason, landing on Injured Reserve for at least the first four weeks of the season.

Mixon's absence leaves five running backs on the roster, with offseason signing Nick Chubb as the likely one to take the lead back role in his place. But, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, it seems that plan for Chubb could shift quickly, as the veteran reportedly hasn't shown the same levels of explosiveness as showcased during his Cleveland Browns days.

"With no sense of when Joe Mixon might return from his injury, the Texans are piecing things together at running back. They kept five backs -- Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, British Brooks and fourth-round rookie Woody Marks. Chubb seems to be the starter for now, but he hasn't shown the same explosiveness post-injury that he had earlier in his career, which could open the door for Pierce or Marks to take on a larger role," Fowler wrote.

"It'll be interesting to see how many of these guys are active on game days, since Brooks and Pierce are too valuable on special teams to be inactive. But until someone steps up and shows more than they have so far, expect the Texans to use the run game to set up a passing game they believe will be more dynamic in C.J. Stroud's third year than it was in a disappointing 2024 that led to the firing of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik."

Without Mixon's health not being too ironed out for now and the foreseeable future, it's hard to predict how this Texans rushing offense could look as we navigate deeper into the season as is, but the outlook behind Houston's lead rusher from last year on the depth chart doesn't make it any easier.