Texans uncertain on RB Joe Mixons future after missed season

HOUSTON — Joe Mixon’s status for next season remains uncertain after the Houston Texans running back missed all season with what general manager Nick Caserio called a “freak” foot injury Wednesday.

“We haven’t seen Joe in a little bit, so I think at some point we’ll see him and then we’ll be able to evaluate kind of where he is and then based on information, we’ll see where his status is,” Caserio said.

The Texans provided few details on Mixon’s recovery throughout the season after announcing in training camp that he sustained a foot injury away from the facility in the offseason.

Asked for details about his injury Wednesday, Caserio gave a bit more information but still didn’t specify exactly what the injury was.

“It wasn’t like he was riding a snowmobile or anything like that,” Caserio said. “It was more of a medical condition or situation that never … really didn’t improve maybe as much as everybody would have hoped. I’m not trying to evade the question, that’s the reality of the situation. He didn’t jump off a building. He wasn’t cliff diving or anything. He wasn’t doing anything irresponsible. It was just a freak thing.”

The Texans reached the divisional round of the playoffs for a third straight season, but their offense took a major hit with Mixon out all season with the injury. It came after he ran for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first season with the team in 2024. He has one year remaining on a three-year, $27 million contract extension he signed after joining the Texans following seven years with the Bengals.

Caserio said they weren’t sure of his status throughout the season but held out hope that he could return at some point.

“It was a very unique situation,” he said. “I don’t think anybody really had any clarity, honestly, from the start of the year until now. I’d say Joe worked very, very hard to try to get himself ready to play football, it just never manifested itself, came to fruition. So probably have an opportunity to kind of see where he is in the offseason relative to next year.”

With Mixon, 29, out this season, the Texans relied on rookie Woody Marks and Nick Chubb. Marks, a fourth-round pick, led the team with 703 yards rushing and Chubb added 506 yards. The Texans struggled to run the ball in their loss to New England last week, managing just 48 yards rushing.

When asked specifically if they believe Mixon’s condition will improve enough for him to be ready for the start of training camp, Caserio said it’s too soon to tell.

“We’ll see. Believe me, I’m not smart enough to be a doctor so I’m going to leave that up to the medical experts,” he said. “Once we… get a little bit more clarity, more information, we’ll kind of see where we are.”