Even though he’s not officially back, the Houston Texans received positive news regarding Joe Mixon.
THE Coming back from the Pro Bowl returned to practice for the first time in nearly two weeks after suffering an ankle injury on Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.
With Dameon Pierce still out with a hamstring injury, the Texans could look to Mixon as a featured runner on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mixon missed five straight practices after leaving the Week 2 game during the fourth quarter. Bears linebacker TJ Edwards used an illegal tackle to bring him down. While Mixon was immediately checked into the blue tent and locker room, he was limited to two carries for five yards in the final 15 minutes.
Edwards was fined $16,883 for the now-illegal technique, but was not flagged during the game.
In last week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Houston’s ground game was tame to Cam Akers. The Texans totaled 38 rushing yards on 14 carries.
Mixon’s return would be key to establishing a consistent ground game against a Jaguars team that has struggled to defend the run. It would also be best to indicate where the Texans are with their rushing attack as October approaches.
Mixon, who signed a three-year, $27 million contract in March, rushed for just 25 yards on nine carries in the home opener after taking off against the Colts for 159 yards on 30 carries.
Wide receiver Nico Collins returned to practice after being limited Thursday with a hamstring injury. Collins is trending for Sunday as he looks to keep pace as the NFL’s leading receiving threat heading into Week 5.
Currently, Collins leads the NFL with 338 receiving yards on 18 receptions. Sunday could mark Stefon Diggs’ breakout game with Dell Tank potentially absent.
Kickoff against Jacksonville is scheduled for noon CT.
This article was originally published on Texans Wire: Texans receive positive update on RB Joe Mixon status
