Star running back Joe Mixon remains off the field for Houston as his recovery from a mysterious injury drags into another week. The only thing we do know is that Mixon suffered the injury in a non-football-related activity. Mixon has been on the non-football injury list since the offseason and still hasn’t practiced, with few details known about what caused the setback.
What Is Going On With Joe Mixon?
General manager Nick Caserio noted in October that an update on Mixon’s condition might arrive in “three or four weeks,” but that window came and went without progress.
“He’s making progress, so we won’t put a particular timetable on it, so I think over the next few three or four weeks, we’ll probably get a little more information here, kind of see how he’s progressing,” the Texans GM explained on Oct. 7.
“Once we kind of get to that period, probably have a better sense of which way it’s going to go for the duration of the year.”
Texans coaches have declined to offer any timetable for his return. However, according to KPRC2‘s Aaron Wilson, Mixon is not expected to return this season with what sources call a complicated foot and ankle injury.
“The Texans’ backfield isn’t expecting a return from Pro Bowl runner Joe Mixon, who remains on the non-football injury list with a ‘tough and complicated’ foot and ankle injury, per sources, that may sideline him for the entire season,” Wilson wrote.
As of mid-November, Mixon still hasn’t seen game action in 2025, and his absence has forced Houston to rely primarily on Nick Chubb and Woody Marks in the backfield. Has that been successful? Not really. According to PFSN’s RB Impact Metric, both Chubb and Marks have D+ grades on the season and rank 37th and 38th on the year.
PFSN’s Running Back Impact (RBi) assigns a numerical score and a letter grade to an individual running back’s performance. While the grade depends largely on rushing explosiveness and efficiency, we also weigh receiving and pass blocking efficiency. In addition, running backs who take a higher share of their team’s carries will get a boost compared to those who shine in a more divided backfield committee.
In the 14 games that Mixon was active in Houston’s backfield, he posted 245 carries for 1,016 yards on the ground, paired with 36 catches for 309 yards and 12 total touchdowns. He finished the year with a C grade and 76.4 score.
Mixon did make a rare public appearance at an event with teammate Tank Dell, but fans and analysts have little reason to expect Mixon to suit up before the end of the season. The possibility of him missing the entire campaign now looks increasingly likely.