The Houston Texans have a big mystery when it comes to running back Joe Mixon.
Mixon has been sidelined since the offseason with an unspecified foot injury. He was placed on the non-football injury list in July and remained on it through the start of the campaign, forcing him to miss at least four games.
Back in August, general manager Nick Caserio cast doubt on Mixon's status for the entire 2025 campaign by not committing to the veteran running back playing at all this season.
"We'll see. We'll take it one day at a time," Caserio said. "We'll evaluate those players after four weeks and see where they are in their progression and then make a determination."
With Mixon now eligible to come off the NFI list after having missed four games, head coach DeMeco Ryan was asked about his status this past week.
Here's what he said, along with a report that casts more doubt on Mixon's status for the rest of this season.
Is Joe Mixon out for the season?
While Mixon's status for the remainder of 2025 has yet to be confirmed, Ryans did say that Mixon is not ready to return yet.
Adding to that, Texans beat writer Aaron Wilson said Mixon will be out much longer, and there is a chance he doesn't see the field at all this season.
"Texans coach DeMeco Ryans specifically indicated that Joe Mixon is not ready to return at this time," Wilson said. "Per sources, it will be much longer, if at all, for Mixon to get back on the field this season."
During Mixon's absence through the first four games, veteran Nick Chubb has served as the lead back for the Texans. However, there has been an interesting development in Houston's backfield.
Fourth-round pick Woody Marks led the team in carries and touches last week and has been playing well enough to the point that it appears he has a shot to take the reins of the Texans' backfield from Chubb.
The veteran is still going to be involved no matter what, but look for the rookie to continue to play a significant role in Houston's offense moving forward based on what we saw last week.
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