Oct 27, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (28) runs with the ball as Indianapolis Colts linebacker E.J. Speed (45) attempts to make a tackle during the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium in Houston on Oct. 27, 2024.

The Houston Texans have played the entire 2025 NFL season to date without their top running back from 2024.

Joe Mixon has been sidelined all season by a nagging foot injury. The issue caused the veteran running back to be placed on the non-football injury (NFI) list at the start of training camp in July, and he has remained there since.

Updates about Mixon's status have been few and far between. Houston hasn't even committed to the 2024 Pro Bowler playing at all in 2025.

When could Mixon return to action? Here are the latest updates about his foot injury and what the Texans have said about a potential return.

When will Joe Mixon return?

There remains no timetable for Mixon to return to action. He hasn't practiced while dealing with a foot injury, and he remains on the team's NFI list.

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans was most recently asked about Mixon's status at an Oct. 27 news conference.

"I do not," Ryans replied, matter-of-factly.

Ryans' succinct update came three weeks to the day after Texans general manager Nick Caserio had provided reporters a timetable for the team to have more information about the veteran running back's status.

"I think probably over the next few weeks we'll probably have a better idea," Caserio said Nov. 6. "You know, he's making progress, so I wouldn't put a particular timetable on it. I think over the next three, four weeks, we'll probably get a little bit more information here and see how he's progressing."

"I think once we kinda get to that period, we'll probably have a better sense about which way he's gonna go for the duration of the year," he added.

The Texans have not committed to Mixon playing in 2025. The 29-year-old totaled 1,016 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns last season on 245 carries across 14 games in his first season with the team last year.

Texans RB depth chart

The Texans have kept four running backs on their 53-man roster throughout the season with Mixon sidelined. Below is a look at the pecking order within the unit, per Texans' unofficial depth chart.

  1. Nick Chubb
  2. Woody Marks
  3. Dare Ogunbowale
  4. Dameon Pierce
  5. British Brooks

Chubb is the Texans' leader in carries (96), but Marks has actually played a position-high 292 offensive snaps. That's because the fourth-round rookie from USC has been Houston's preferred receiving option out of the backfield, generating 15 catches for 183 yards and two touchdowns on 24 targets.

Marks and Chubb figure to continue splitting reps as long as Mixon remains out. Ogunbowale could be worked in sparingly as a receiver, while Pierce has played just four games and hasn't logged an offensive snap since Week 5.

Meanwhile, Brooks is listed as a running back but has played almost exclusively at fullback this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will Joe Mixon return? Latest injury updates on Texans RB

Reporting by Jacob Camenker, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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