Joe Mixon Injury History & Analysis

The Texans hired Nick Caley as their new OC, replacing Bobby Slowik. Caley spent the past two seasons working under Sean McVay in Los Angeles, holding the title of TEs coach in 2023 and passing game coordinator last year. He was with the Patriots from 2015 through 2022. Those first seven offenses were led by OC Josh McDaniels. We'll see what Caley picked up from McVay and McDaniels, but this will be his first time calling plays at any level. Priority No. 1 will be helping QB C.J. Stroud rebound from a disappointing sophomore season. Houston also has work to do on its offensive line and WR corps, with Stefon Diggs a free agent and Tank Dell likely to miss most or all of the 2025 season.

The Texans fired OC Bobby Slowik, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It's a big fall for Slowik, who was mentioned as a potential HC candidate just a year ago. He helped QB C.J. Stroud to an impressive 2023 rookie season, with Houston finishing 12th in total yards and 13th in points. But Stroud and the Texans offense took a step back this past year, ranking 22nd in yards and 19th in points. Slowik took some heat for a high early-down run rate, but the Texans finished 10th in neutral pass rate and fifth in pass rate over expected. To our eyes, the biggest issue in Houston was an offensive line that ranked 31st in ESPN's run block win rate and 22nd in pass block win rate. We'll see what the Texans do to bolster that unit this offseason -- and who they tab to replace Slowik.

Texans RB Joe Mixon (ankle) is active for today's game vs. the Chiefs. He was added to the injury report on Wednesday and did not practice on Thursday. So it's safe to assume Mixon won't be at 100% today, although there never seemed to be much doubt about whether he'd play. See where Mixon lands in the Divisional Round RB Rankings.

Texans RB Joe Mixon (ankle) has a "very, very real chance" to play vs. the Chiefs, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on Friday morning. "Not a major injury," Rapoport adds of the ankle that landed Mixon on the injury report on Thursday. We're still projecting him to play close to his usual role against Kansas City but will continue to keep an eye on his status.

Texans RB Joe Mixon (ankle) is listed as questionable for Saturday's Divisional Round game vs. the Chiefs. After being added to the injury report and limited on Wednesday, Mixon did not practice on Thursday. He seems legitimately iffy for this one. Mixon's absence would leave Dameon Pierce as Houston's lead back and deal a big blow to the Texans' chances of pulling the upset in Kansas City. We'll keep you updated on Mixon's status and get Houston's inactives around 3 pm ET on Saturday.