Joe Mixon, Houston Texans star running back, has been sidelined by a stubborn foot injury that has dashed hopes for his 2025 return. The 29-year-old Pro Bowler, acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Cincinnati Bengals in March 2024, has not practiced or played a single game this year after being placed on the non-football injury list at the end of training camp.
The timeline of Joe Mixon’s foot injury
Joe Mixon skipped all of Houston’s workouts, training camp, OTAs, and minicamp in May 2025 due to a nagging issue.
July 23, 2025: One day after players reported to training camp, the Texans placed Mixon on the Active/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list. This designation means the injury happened away from team facilities and was not football-related at the time it occurred.
July 26, 2025: The first specific mention of a foot injury surfaced.
August 25, 2025: When the Texans cut down to the 53-man roster, they kept Mixon on the NFI list instead of activating him. This automatically ruled him out for at least the first four regular-season games.
August 27, 2025: GM Nick Caserio spoke publicly and said, “With all injured players, you kind of take it one day at a time… The players who are on PUP or NFI are out for four games or four weeks. So once we get through four weeks, we’ll evaluate at that time.”
October 5, 2025 (Week 5 vs. Ravens): Mixon became eligible to come off the NFI list, but he was not activated.
October 7, 2025: Caserio updated reporters: “He’s making progress, so we won’t put a particular timetable on it… Over the next three or four weeks, we’ll probably get a little more information here… and have a better sense of which way it’s going to go for the duration of the year.”
October 27, 2025: After Mixon had already missed seven games, head coach DeMeco Ryans was directly asked for any update on the running back’s health. His complete answer was three words: “I do not.”
November 18, 2025: In his weekly radio interview, Caserio described the situation as “It’s a very gray situation, a lot of ambiguity, there’s not a lot of clarity. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s just the reality of the situation.”
November 20, 2025: Joe Mixon is not expected to play at any point for the remainder of the 2025 season, according to multiple sources, officially ending his year without taking a single snap.
Houston Texans’ form and Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon was remarkable in his Texans debut season in 2024, rushing for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns while earning his second career Pro Bowl selection.
At 5-5, Houston sits on the AFC playoff bubble. Losing Mixon has impacted the depth. Smart moves in the offseason cushioned the blow.
Houston inked four-time Pro Bowler Nick Chubb post his Cleveland Browns tenure, and snagged USC’s Woody Marks in the fourth round.