Two games into the preseason and the Houston Texans’ run game remains underwhelming.
Perhaps that changes on Saturday with the return — or in the Texans’ case — the arrival of their new Pro Bowl runner.
Joe Mixon has practiced all week and plans to make his debut on Saturday against the New York Giants. Dameon Pierce and Cam Akers have held down the fort over the past two games, but Houston traded for Mixon to be the team’s focal point on the ground.
But there’s more than just a consistent 1,000-yard runner between each carry for Mixon. Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik mentioned he’ll offer value in the passing game. He also plans on being a factor in pass protection to keep C.J. Stroud upright.
“Joe is solid, he’s an all-around back. When it comes to blocking, catching, running the football, Joe is all-around,” Ryans said Thursday. “He’s a strong, physical player. That allows him to do really well in pass protection. You can ask a lot of him in pass protection, he matches up well vs. any blitzers whether it’s linebackers or secondary defenders.”
#Texans running back Joe Mixon stringing some practices together now after missing a good chunk of training camp with an injury. pic.twitter.com/KiAOTRQMIC
— Jon Poorman (@JonPoorman) August 14, 2024
Mixon, who signed a three-year, $27 million deal with the Texans this offseason, is coming off his fourth 1,000-yard campaign with the Cincinnati Bengals. That was expected, but his role in the passing game perhaps wasn’t.
After finishing with over 400 receiving yards in 2022, Mixon followed that up with 376 yards off 52 catches a season later.
Remember that the Bengals lost Joe Burrow midway through the season and turned to veteran Jake Browing for the rest of the year.
Over his past four years, Mixon’s averaged 219 carries and 41 receptions per campaign. Ryans pointed to Mixon’s ability to serve as a last-second resort out of the backfield for a quarterback to turn a negative play into a positive.
“That’s what you like: giving the quarterback just a little more time to make plays,” Ryans said. “Joe will do be capable of doing that for us.”
The Texans need a healthy Mixon if they plan on upgrading their 23rd-ranked rushing unit from last season. Pierce looks more agile after a sophomore slump, but he’s only rushed for four yards on four attempts.
Good to see Joe Mixon back out doing drills. pic.twitter.com/76zHldLomT
— Dan Mathews (@DANMATHEWSHOU) August 11, 2024
Akers, who currently leads Houston with 30 yards on 11 carries, found the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Davis Mills against the Chicago Bears in the Hall of Fame game, but he’s coming off a pair of torn Achilles. He might make the roster, but the Texans can’t trust the former second-round pick as a three-down back entering 2024.
Mixon will play for the first time since early January on Saturday. By the end of the first quarter, he could silence the crowd’s concerns of an underwhelming run game.
