The Houston Texans made a major move on Tuesday when they were able to land the star running back they reportedly coveted when they swung a trade for stud RB Joe Mixon.
On the first day of 2024 NFL free agency, the Cincinnati Bengals surprised some around the league when it was reported they would cut ties with seven-year veteran Joe Mixon. After being taken in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft the running back had become a core member of their offense. However, off-the-field problems and injury issues seemingly made him expendable heading into the offseason.
On Monday it looked like he would be a cap casualty, but that changed the next day when ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter was one of the first to report that the Bengals were trading him to the Texans. With Houston having a boatload of cap space, they can take on the $6.1 million owed to Mixon for next season and still make more moves.
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How does Joe Mixon help the Houston Texans in 2024?
The Houston Texans stunned the NFL world in 2023 when they ended up being well ahead of schedule and rookie CJ Stroud was a star in his first season in the league. With the former Ohio State star under center, Nico Collins emerged as a legitimate WR1 for the team but their run game was still a weakness.
While veteran Devin Singletary did a rock-solid job as the starting running back, when healthy, Mixon can be a game-breaker out of the backfield. Mixon has rushed for over 1,000 yards four times during his career — something Singletary never did. But what is key is the one-time Pro Bowler is a real threat as a pass catcher, having averaged 300 or more yards receiving over the last three seasons.
It is unclear what Houston is giving up in the deal but it likely won’t be much since the Bengals were close to cutting him and he only has one year left on his current contract. Houston was a top 10 team in our NFL offense rankings and that only improved after the addition of Mixon on Tuesday.
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