Texans’ Joe Mixon Injury Update Not What Fans Were Hoping For

The Houston Texans have been without last year's starting running back Joe Mixon for nearly the past four months, dating back to this summer's OTAs with what's been labeled a foot injury.

In OTAs and minicamp, preseason, and the first eight weeks of the regular season, Mixon has been out of the fold, currently listed on the PUP list an inactive on the Texans' roster, and to this point, has yet to have any indication of when he might be ready to take the field once again.

And per the latest injury update from the Texans staff, the status on Mixon seemingly hasn't changed.

After the Texans' Week 8 win vs. the San Francisco 49ers, head coach DeMeco Ryans was asked whether he had any update surrounding the potential return of Mixon for later this season, and his response was kept straight and to the point.

"I do not," Ryans said.

Not extremely ideal.

Could Joe Mixon Miss the Entire 2025 NFL Season?

Jan 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) reacts after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers in an AFC wild card game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Mixon's injury has remained a cloudy situation for the duration of the 2025 season without many clear inidications on if or when he'll be ready to go for the year.

The last time we heard of the running back's name and a recovery timeline from the Texans, it came from general manager Nick Caserio during their Week 6 bye, where he foresaw a clearer picture to come in "the next few weeks."

“Probably over the next few weeks, we'll probably have a better idea," Caserio said of Mixon's injury. "He’s making progress. I wouldn’t put a particular time table on it. Over the next three-to-four weeks probably get more information here, kind of see how he's progressing."

"Taking it one day at a time, but I think once we kind of get to that period, we'll probably have a better sense of which way it's going to go for the duration of the year."

Now that it's been a few weeks since, the situation hasn't moved an inch forward, which, for Houston, might be a subtle hint at what plans could look like for the remainder of the 2025 season.

While Mixon has remained out for the Texans through eight weeks, veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks have been the ones to take the reins as the two-man tandem in the backfield–– leading to Houston emerging with the 17th-most rushing yards per game (113.4) on the season, yet tied for last in total touchdowns (3).

Time will tell what the true fate for Mixon will be for the remainder of this season, but as of now, his absence continues onward for the next few weeks, and potentially further.

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