Demeco Ryans opens up on Joe Mixon's mysterious season-long absence and the Texans' strategic running back moves for the upcoming season.
One of the more bizarre stories in the NFL during the 2025 season involved the Houston Texans. It revolved around running back Joe Mixon and his injury that remained a mystery throughout the entire season. Mixon did not play for the Texans at all in 2025, and he was out for the entire training camp as well. There has been no clear report on what exactly happened with Mixon, and all that is really known up until this point is that it was some sort of lower body injury involving his leg and foot.
There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the circumstances of Mixon's injury, and what exactly it was that kept him off the field for the entire season. NFL insider Adam Schefter said that he heard his injury had something to do with necrosis on his foot, but the insider made it clear that was not confirmed and it was just something he had heard. It that were to be true, it would be similar to what went down with the Raiders and wide receiver Antonio Brown back in 2019.
There still are no answers involving Mixon, but the Texans did make the decision to release the veteran running back earlier in the offseason. The team had acquired David Montgomery in a trade with the Detroit Lions, and releasing Mixon at that point was a no-brainer. Head Coach Demeco Ryans spoke to the media on Tuesday, and he was asked about both Mixon and Montgomery: "Yeah, definitely tough first and foremost. Think the world of Joe and what he was capable of doing for our team. An outstanding player, an outstanding energy provider for our team, losing him was tough. To be able to come back this year and add David Montgomery, we like that physical brand of football that he brings. David's a consistent runner; he knows how to get more than what is blocked for."
Ryans seemed to hate having to lose Mixon, but bringing in Montgomery certainly softens that blow. Montgomery has shared a backfield with Jahmyr Gibbs for three seasons, and now he will finally get to be the featured back once again in Houston. He has earned this opportunity, and he should be an extremely productive player for the Texans.
There was no actual injury update on Mixon, but hopefully, his health is trending in the right direction, and he can make a return to the gridiron if he wants to.