The concern about the health of star Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon remains high. Nick Chubb was brought in to be a complement and reduce the workload for Mixon. Now he might have to carry majority of the workload this season. Former USC Trojan running back Woody Marks could be asked to take on more carries to replace Mixon in the receiving game.

Cole Thompson analyzed both the impact of Mixon and what the Texans’ GM’s recent comments on Mixon could mean in a recent article . Here are his thoughts on the Mixon situation:

“Will Houston Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon see the field at all this season? Based on general manager Nick Caserio’s comments, it doesn’t seem promising. When asked about the status of Mixon following roster cutdowns, Caserio was noncommittal about whether the leading rusher from a season ago would play in 2025. While the GM didn’t say Mixon was done before the season began, he also offered little insight to Mixon’s status as a whole.

“‘We’ll see. We’ll take it one day at a time,’ Caserio said. ‘We’ll evaluate those players after four weeks and see where they are in their progression and then make a determination.’ Last year, he led all players in scrimmage yards in both the regular season (1,325) and totaled 194 yards in two playoff games. Among all players, he finished top 10 in rushing yards per game (72.6) and was one of eight running backs to total at least 10-plus touchdowns. Mixon potentially could return in Week 5, though it’s expected that he’ll miss more than just the initial four games. Houston also has a bye week in Week 6, so he could return for Week 7’s Monday Night Football’s Showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.”

It will take a running back by committee to replace the production and Impact Joe Mixon puts up consistently. Last season the Texans won their playoff game versus the Chargers off of Joe Mixon’s 25 carries for 106 rushing yards and a touchdown. Nick Chubb is not who he used to be in his prime years in Cleveland after all of the injuries.

A huge xfactor for the Texans in the first 5 games at least could be Woody Marks, the young dynamic running back who is multi-skilled. We could see the former Trojan find the endzone frequently in the first few games of the season. Mixon makes Stroud’s life so much easier and the back that fists that archetype the most is Woody Marks.