Texans Hit With Alarming Injury Update on RB Joe Mixon

The Houston Texans have been without their starting running back from last season, Joe Mixon, through the first four weeks of the 2025 NFL season.

After suffering an offseason foot injury that sidelined him through OTAs and preseason, Mixon was put on the PUP list to begin the season to force him out of the fold for the first four weeks of the regular season.

A tough blow to the Texans' offense and running game has led to the combination of Nick Chubb and Woody Marks carrying the bulk of the workload to start. But now with Week 5 on the horizon for Houston and the PUP window able to be opened for those inactive for the first quarter of the season, it's led to a bit of lingering talk of whether Mixon's return may or may not be on the horizon.

However, according to KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, that return for Mixon doesn't seem to be happening any time soon.

When asked about the possibility of Mixon being ready to return heading into Week 5, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans shut that down, with sources indicating that it'll be "much longer" before he's ready to get back onto the field.

#Texans coach DeMeco Ryans specifically indicated that Joe Mixon is not ready to return at this time. Per sources, it will be much longer, if at all, for Mixon to get back on the field this season @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 29, 2025

Not great news for those holding out for a Mixon return.

During his last season with the Texans, he had 14 regular-season appearances to log his fifth-career 1,000-yard campaign, securing 245 carries for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground to become one of the key playmakers within Houston's 2024 offense.

Fast forward one season later, and the responsibility has now fallen on the shoulders of Chubb and Marks to be the one-two punch in this Texans backfield, perhaps longer than initially expected.

The Texans have remained relatively quiet on Mixon's injury news since the developments initially surfaced of his absence coming to light to start the season. While Ryans doesn't have a clear timetable for his veteran back's return, we now know that it likely won't be coming in the near future.

Nov 24, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

On the bright side for the Texans, Marks comes off his best performance yet in Houston's backfield vs. the Tennessee Titans, a game in which he had a season-high 17 carries for 69 yards, along with a pair of touchdowns to breathe some much-needed life into their offense and rushing attack to take down their division rivals in a 26-0 shutout victory.

For as long as Mixon's out, Marks should continue to have that opportunity to show out within this Texans offense, but it remains to be seen just how long his veteran counterpart will be missing out of the action.

More Houston Texans Content