Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon opened training camp on the non-football injury list, and it appears he's bound for a long stay on the injury report, with NFL Network's Ian Rapoport tweeting that Mixon "is expected to be out an extended period of time with a frustrating foot injury." It's unclear at this point when Mixon, who rushed for over 1,000 yards for Houston in 2024, will be back out on the field, with Rapoport adding that he'll be reevaluated closer to the start of the 2025 season.
Now, I know what you're thinking here. You're like, "Whew, good thing the Texans signed Nick Chubb!" But with no guarantee that Chubb is anything more than a shell of his former self, Texans fans should instead say something else: "Whew, good thing the Texans drafted Woody Marks!"
Woody Marks is well-positioned to take advantage of Joe Mixon injury
Houston used a fourth-round pick on Woody Marks in April. Running back wasn't the team's biggest need, but with Dameon Pierce looking less and less like a reliable backup with every passing day, it made sense to grab some insurance in case the team's lead back, Joe Mixon, went down.
Fast forward to July and that's exactly where we're at.
Houston looks likely to give Nick Chubb the first crack at the lead role until Mixon returns, but reports from the first day of training camp don't seem positive for Chubb. And why would they? Chubb was a shell of his former self once he returned to the field last year. The devastating 2023 knee injury sapped him of a lot of what made him so dangerous, and a broken foot at the end of last season threatens to make him even less effective going forward. Chubb might still be a deadly short-yardage option for Houston, but it's hard to see him holding up with a heavy workload.
This is where Marks comes in. Texans reporters have praised Marks for how well he picked things up on the opening day of camp, with one going as far as saying Marks already looked ready to be the third-down back. That would be potential bad news for Dare Ogunbowale, whose ability as a third-down back seemed to give him a leg-up over Pierce for the fourth running back spot on the 53-man roster. Of course, Pierce started camp on the PUP list, which is obviously not ideal!
Marks, who rushed for 1,133 yards and nine touchdowns for USC last year while catching 47 passes for 321 yards, could wind up opening the year in a key spot if Mixon isn't ready to go by Week 1.
This is still Joe Mixon's backfield. Once he's healthy, Marks would be relegated to a smaller role again. But Houston's top two running backs on the depth chart both have injury concerns and are getting up there in age, so having Marks out on the field offers a look at the future for the Texans. If Marks can impress while Mixon is sidelined, he can not only earn a larger role now but can potentially set himself up to be the lead back for Houston in 2026. Mixon is under contract next year, but the team can move on from him with just a $2 million cap hit.