While he’s not officially back, the Houston Texans received positive news surrounding Joe Mixon.
The Pro Bowl running back returned to practice for the first time in nearly two weeks after suffering an ankle injury on Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.
With Dameon Pierce still sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Texans could turn to Mixon as the feature runner on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
BREAKING Joe Mixon is practicing. #Htownmade pic.twitter.com/Xb6n5LQyT7
— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) September 27, 2024
Mixon missed five consecutive practices after leaving Week 2’s matchup during the fourth quarter. Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards used an illegal hip-drop tackle to bring him down. While Mixon immediately got checked out in both the blue tent and locker room, he was limited to two carries for five yards over the final 15 minutes.
After mixing the past week #Texans RB Joe Mixon is back pic.twitter.com/oakgle2Cnq
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) September 27, 2024
Edwards was fined $16,883 for the now illegal technique but was not flagged on the play.
In last week’s loss against the Minnesota Vikings, Houston’s ground game was docile with Cam Akers. The Texans totaled 38 rushing yards on 14 carries.
Having Mixon back would be critical to establishing a consistent ground game against a Jaguars roster that struggles to defend the run. It would also be better to indicate where the Texans stand with their rushing attack entering October.
Mixon, who inked a three-year, $27 million contract in March, rushed for just 25 yards on nine carries in the home opener after blasting off against the Colts for 159 yards on 30 carries.
Wide receiver Nico Collins returned to practice after being limited Thursday with a hamstring injury. Collins is trending toward playing Sunday as he looks to keep pace as the NFL’s top receiving threat entering Week 5.
Currently, Collins leads the NFL with 338 receiving yards on 18 receptions. Sunday could mark the breakout game for Stefon Diggs with Tank Dell potentially being out.
Kickoff against Jacksonville is scheduled for noon CT.
