Nick Chubb is going to get his chance.
The Houston Texans will have little choice but to let the veteran running back run early and often in the opening stages of the season.
That became clear on Monday. The Texans announced that they’ll be placing Joe Mixon on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list. Mixon hurt his foot away from the team earlier in the offseason.
Placement on the Reserve/NFI list means that Mixon will miss the first four games of the season, at minimum.
Mixon was brilliant in 2024, his first season away from Cincinnati. He played in 14 games for the Texans and had 245 carries for 1,016 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught 36 passes for 309 yards and another score.
Now 29 years old, Mixon was expected to continue to lead the backfield.
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Instead, it’ll be Chubb.
This is Chubb’s first season away from Cleveland. He signed with the Texans after a long stint in free agency that included a chance for the Browns to bring him back before opting not to.
Chubb was a superstar for the first five seasons of his career for the Browns, putting up at least 996 yards rushing in each of those campaigns.
All told, Chubb had 1,340 carries for 6,843 yards (5.1 ypc) and 51 touchdowns on the ground for the Browns.
He sustained a season-ending injury in Week 2 of 2023, then struggled when he came back in 2024.
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Last season, Chubb played eight games and had 102 runs for 332 yards (3.3 ypc) and three TDs.
The Texans gave him a chance as a sturdy complement to Mixon, but it’ll now be Chubb as RB1 to begin the campaign. He’ll turn 30 in December.
The Texans also have Dare Ogunbowale, Dameon Pierce, fourth-round rookie Woody Marks and undrafted rookie Jahwar Jordan, so it won’t be just Chubb getting action.
But the four-time Pro Bowl RB will step into a big spotlight in the early going for a contending Texans team. We’ll find out quickly how much Chubb has left in the tank.
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