'That was a really good trade for Houston' — ESPN's latest rankings vindicate one of Texans biggest moves from last year

Running back Joe Mixon was a vital part of the Houston Texans' offense in 2024.

Since the Cincinnati Bengals were expected to release Mixon, the Texans swooped in and traded a 2024 seventh-round pick for the veteran RB. That proved to be a major bargain, as Mixon went on to record 1,016 rushing yards, 309 receiving yards, and 12 total touchdowns last season.

The folks over at ESPN compiled their RB rankings for the 2025 season, and after garnering an honorable mention in 2024, Mixon shot up to the top 10 this year, landing at No. 9 overall.

From ESPN: "Mixon looked rejuvenated in Houston after the Texans acquired him in a trade with Cincinnati in March 2024. He's not a home run hitter, with a career average of 4.1 yards per carry over eight seasons. But he's got just about everything else. Mixon is the NFL's only player with at least 1,300 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns in each of the past four seasons. His 94.6 scrimmage yards per game last year trails only Arian Foster (2014) and DeAndre Hopkins (2015, 2018) in Texans history."

An anonymous NFL personnel evaluator praised the move made by Houston to acquire Mixon:

"Really good vision, feet, contact balance -- a hammer in the run game. Looked worn down at the end of the season, but overall that was a really good trade for Houston."

Given the Texans' struggles in the passing game in 2024, it's scary to think what their offense would have looked like without Mixon. In seven of his first 10 games he rushed for over 100 yards, and Houston went 5-2 in those contests. 

Fatigue could have been an issue toward to end of the season, but he also wasn't getting the same workload, averaging jut 10 carries over his final four games. With Nick Chubb now in the fold, perhaps Mixon will remain fresh and effective during the latter part of the year.