After rushing for 1,016 yards and earning Pro Bowl honors for the second time in his career in 2024, Joe Mixon landed on the non-football injury list before 2025 kicked off. His roster designation did not change throughout the regular season or postseason.
On Wednesday, Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio addressed Mixon's status for the 2026 season, saying the running back continues to work through a "freak" foot injury.
"We haven't seen Joe in a little bit, so I think at some point we'll see him and then we'll be able to evaluate kind of where he is and then based on information, we'll see where his status is," Caserio said.
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During last year's training camp, the Texans announced Mixon sustained a foot injury away from the facility in the offseason. The team was largely mum on the details of the running back's recovery throughout the season.
Caserio gave a partial explanation Wednesday, stopping short of revealing the injury.
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"It wasn't like he was riding a snowmobile or anything like that," Caserio said. "It was more of a medical condition or situation that never ... really didn't improve maybe as much as everybody would have hoped. I'm not trying to evade the question, that's the reality of the situation. He didn't jump off a building. He wasn't cliff diving or anything. He wasn't doing anything irresponsible. It was just a freak thing."
The Texans reached the divisional round of the NFL playoffs for a third straight season, but five turnovers against the New England Patriots ultimately ended Houston's hopes of advancing to the AFC Championship.
The Texans’ offense took a noticeable hit with Mixon out all season due to the injury. Mixon has one year remaining on a three-year, $27 million contract extension he signed after joining the Texans following seven years with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Caserio said they were not sure of his status throughout the season but held out hope that he could return at some point.
"It was a very unique situation," he said. "I don't think anybody really had any clarity, honestly, from the start of the year until now. I'd say Joe worked very, very hard to try to get himself ready to play football, it just never manifested itself, came to fruition. So probably have an opportunity to kind of see where he is in the offseason relative to next year."
With Mixon out this season, the Texans relied on rookie Woody Marks and veteran running back Nick Chubb. Marks, a fourth-round pick, led the team with 703 yards rushing and Chubb added 506 yards.
When asked specifically if they believe Mixon's condition will improve enough for him to be ready for the start of training camp, Caserio said it's too soon to tell.
"We'll see. Believe me, I'm not smart enough to be a doctor so I'm going to leave that up to the medical experts," he said. "Once we ... get a little bit more clarity, more information, we'll kind of see where we are."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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