With starting running back Joe Mixon sidelined for at least the remainder of the preseason, the Houston Texans will spend the month of August preparing for the 2025 regular season without a multi-time 1,000-yard rusher. Fortunately, behind Mixon, Houston has another multi-time 1,000-yard rusher who is eager for the opportunity to step into that opening.
Nick Chubb is three years removed from his last 1,000 yard season, and since then, he’s suffered a handful of season-ending injuries. The former Cleveland Browns star — who will remain a beloved figure in Northeast Ohio, by the way — signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with the Texans in early June with hopes of being a complimentary piece in Houston’s backfield along with Joe Mixon.
But for now, with Mixon out of action, it’s Chubb who is in the driver’s seat to step in for the Pro Bowler if he misses any time in the regular season. And he’s not taking the opportunity to work with Houston’s first-team offense for granted.
“It’s been great to get a chance to come out here and play some more football. It’s been a while for me,” Chubb said July 28, per Will Backus of CBS Sports. “I need every rep I can get. I got hurt last December so I haven’t been in pads since. So it’s great to get out here and get pads on, get hit, move around a little bit.”
Since having a career-best season in 2022, Chubb’s been limited to just ten games and 130 carries in the two years that followed. Multiple torn knee ligaments and a broken foot have likely zapped some of the burst and the power that Chubb ran with at his peak, but he’s working hard to gain that back in the early portions of training camp.
“It’s hard to get a first [down] when the defense is playing so good,” Chubb said, according to Dylan Feltovich of Sports Illustrated. “But other than that, every time I try to get a quick 10-yard burst after the play is done, just to help get in better shape.”
Nick Chubb Loving Life in Houston
Even though Nick Chubb was vocal until the very end about wanting to remain a member of the Cleveland Browns, thus far, life in Houston has been going well for the four-time Pro Bowler.
“What I love most about it is the guys that are around me in the huddle. The big guys up front, the receivers, tight ends, and [QB] C.J. [Stroud]. It’s a bunch of guys who play with intent, who love to practice and love to work hard and get better every day,” Chubb told reporters on July 28.
With Joe Mixon on the shelf, Chubb is now not only the leader in the clubhouse to be Houston’s starting running back until Mixon returns, he’s also the old head in the Texans’ running back room. It’s a role that he’s taking pride in, as he gets to work with Dameon Pierce, who rushed 939 yards as a rookie before seeing his role diminish in each of the two seasons that followed, and mentor rookie 4th-rounder Woody Marks, who Chubb adoringly called “a Georgia boy.”
“It’s super important to me,” Chubb said of his leadership role. “Woody is a Georgia boy, so that’s like a brother to me already. He’s been great. He’s super smart. He’s super athletic, super fast.”
The Latest on Joe Mixon
After injuring his ankle in the offseason, Joe Mixon landed on the non-football injury list to begin training camp, and only a few days into summer sessions, he was ruled out for the preseason.
Naturally, it’s caused many to wonder whether Mixon’s injury will keep him off the field once the regular season begins. Mixon earned a Pro Bowl nod for his efforts last season, and he was recently named the 58th-best player in the NFL according to the league’s annual NFL 100 poll.
But just because fans and analysts alike have questions about Joe Mixon’s prognosis, it doesn’t mean DeMeco Ryans and the Texans coaching staff are prepared to give answers.
“Nothing’s changed with Joe,” Ryans stated on July 28. “I know we get reports about Joe, but nothing’s changed, he’s still working. Whenever it’s time for Joe to be back, he’ll be back. A lot of people want to report things about guys with injuries, but my thing is, are you really concerned about our guys, or just trying to get something out there?”
