The Houston Texans have been forced to figure out their running back room week by week.
Joe Mixon was the workhorse last season, and he was expected to be so again.
That changed over the summer.
Mixon sustained a non-football injury during the offseason, involving his ankle, one that hasn't been clarified further than that.
But he hasn't played at all since the beginning of training camp.
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Mixon is on the non-football injury list, which kept him out through Week 4, at minimum. But it'll be longer, according to beat reporter Aaron Wilson.
"DeMeco Ryans specifically indicated that Joe Mixon is not ready to return at this time," Wilson wrote on X. "Per sources, it will be much longer, if at all, for Mixon to get back on the field this season."
The Texans have already bounced to their second option.
Nick Chubb, the veteran and former Browns star, was the main man to start the season.
He's been overtaken by rookie Woody marks, who outsnapped and outplayed Chubb in Week 4.
Marks seems like the future, so it wouldn't be surprising to see him remain in control as the season goes forward.
At this point, it doesn't sound like Mixon has a great chance of making much of an impact this season for Houston at all.
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