HOUSTON -- Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon is starting training camp on the non-football injury list.
Mixon, a Pro Bowler last season in his first year with the Texans, didn't practice during OTAs and minicamp because of an ankle injury.
The ankle hasn't healed to the point where Mixon can fully go. The non-football injury (NFI) designation indicates that Mixon suffered the injury outside of the Texans' facility.
Mixon, who turns 28 on Thursday, rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024.
The Texans added players in the offseason equipped to step in for Mixon, signing Nick Chubb after a seven-year stint with the Cleveland Browns and drafting Woody Marks out of USC in the fourth round.
The Texans hope the ankle injury won't sideline Mixon for an extended period, but in the meantime, Chubb will get an opportunity to show his last season in Cleveland was a fluke.
Chubb ranked third on the Browns' career rushing list (6,843 yards), but the end of his tenure in Cleveland was derailed by injuries. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season and did not return to action until Week 7 of last season. The four-time Pro Bowler rushed for 332 yards and recorded career lows in yards per attempt (3.3) and percentage of carries that gained at least 10 yards (4.9%) before suffering a broken foot in Week 15.
