There’s no pain quite like watching your plan unravel on freshly cut turf. And few understand that better than DeMeco Ryans. “It’s tough to see guys get injured,” Ryans said last December. “It’s deeper than football. We are talking about real people who have real emotions and real feelings who are going through a tough time right now.” Fast forward seven months, and Ryans’ words feel prophetic. The Houston Texans – fresh off a resurgent division title, riding a Pro Bowl quarterback and dreaming of January football – are already scrambling to patch up a suddenly fragile depth chart before August even arrives. At the center of it? A familiar villain in the NFL script: the injury bug. Specifically, the foot of Joe Mixon.
The Texans were expecting to ease into camp with a healthy 1-2 punch in the backfield. Instead, they’re now flipping through backup plans. According to CBS Sports, two adjustments have reportedly been set into motion: “Houston added a pair of backs already this offseason, selecting Woody Marks on Day 3 of the NFL Draft and signing former Browns star Nick Chubb. If Mixon has to miss games, the Texans could add another rusher to the mix.” In other words, the running back depth chart that once seemed stacked now looks like a test kitchen.
First, Houston will give reps to the untested Woody Marks and the rehabbing Nick Chubb to see who can carry the load. Second, if neither proves up to the task. Or if Mixon’s timeline drags deeper into September, the Texans are reportedly considering bringing in another rusher altogether. Yes, with the preseason still weeks away, DeMeco Ryans and the front office already have their emergency whiteboard out.
via @ NFL.com
Now let’s talk reality. Chubb isn’t just any backup – he’s a four-time Pro Bowler. But he’s also a walking medical file. Last season alone, he broke his foot and had already been recovering from a reconstructed knee. That knee? It’s the same one that was shredded back in his college days at Georgia. Torn MCL, LCL, PCL, dislocation, and cartilage damage. The man’s fought his way back before. But Houston isn’t foolish enough to assume he’ll last 17 games in full throttle.
As for Woody Marks, the rookie is promising. The fourth rounder out of USC has speed, balance, and college tape worth watching. But let’s not pretend this is plug-and-play. He hasn’t played a single NFL snap, and asking a Day 3 rookie to shoulder the ground game for a playoff team right out of the gate? That’s more desperation than design. Now DeMeco Ryans is left juggling names, timelines, and question marks. So, when Joe Mixon’s foot started acting up again, it didn’t just tweak the rotation – it rattled the entire offensive rhythm Nick Caley had planned to install.
Joe Mixon’s injury timeline extends
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the news around Joe Mixon is officially bad – and possibly getting worse. The team placed the Pro Bowl back on the non-football injury (NFI) list at the start of camp. Now, he’ll miss “an extended period of time with a frustrating foot injury.” The team plans to re-evaluate Mixon closer to the season, but “closer” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.
The foot issue isn’t new. In fact, it’s part of a long, frustrating injury timeline for the 29-year-old. Since entering the league in 2017, Mixon has battled concussions, sprained ankles, and – most notably – that same foot, which ended his 2020 season. He missed games in 2024 with an ankle issue the Texans believe stemmed from a hip-drop tackle. Houston gave him a three-year, $27 million extension after trading for him last offseason. And he rewarded them with 1,016 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns across 14 games. But now, they’re staring down the possibility of not having him at all to start the season.
At this point, all Houston can do is wait – and prepare for a Plan B they were hoping never to need. Whether it’s Chubb turning back the clock, Woody Marks accelerating his NFL learning curve, or another running back flying in from free agency, DeMeco Ryans is now coaching on a tightrope. This sytem is tailormade for Mixon. The question is: how long can it survive without him?
The post DeMeco Ryans Forced to Make 2 Last-Minute Changes After Joe Mixon Gets Bad News at Texans Training Camp – Report appeared first on EssentiallySports.
