While the Houston Texans offense took a step back in 2024, the run game was one of the lone bright spots en route to a second AFC South division title.
Running back Joe Mixon regained his Pro Bowl peak at NRG Stadium following an offseason trade from the Cincinnati Bengals. After inking a three-year, $27 million extension last March, most pundits believed Mixon would fail to live up to the $9 million annual salary.
Instead, Mixon kickstarted his Texans career with an NFL-leading 159-yard outing in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. He was on pace for a 1,300-yard season before an ankle injury sidelined him for three weeks in late September.
New offensive coordinator Nick Caley just spent the last two seasons watching Kyren Williams take control of the Los Angeles Rams’ ground game while securing two postseason appearances. As the next play-caller, he plans on emphasizing the rushing attack while having Mixon serve as an offensive focal point.
New #Texans OC Nick Caley bullish on Pro Bowl runner Joe Mixon @Joe_MainMixon ‘I love his mentality. I love the way he runs. I love the way he finishes. He’s a violent runner on contact. He’s competitive. I’ve admired him for a long, long time, so I’m really excited. He’s a…
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) February 13, 2025
“I love his mentality. I love the way he runs. I love the way he finishes,” Caley said of Mixon at his introductory press conference Thursday. “He’s a violent runner on contact. He’s competitive. I’ve admired him for a long, long time, so I’m really excited. He’s a really good player, and I’m really excited to work with him.”
Mixon became the first Texans running back since 2019 to finish with over 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. In 15 games, he totaled 1,016 yards for an average of 4.1 yards per attempt per attempt and scored 12 total touchdowns.
Caley, who spent his first eight seasons in the NFL on staff with the New England Patriots, knows the importance of a balanced run game, but it starts by securing stability in the trenches.
Caley’s hire might not have been a selling point for head coach DeMeco Ryans to promote Cole Popovich to the full-time offensive line coach, but their previous relationship does help. Popovich worked for several years with Caley in New England under longtime NFL offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia.
Love how good Joe Mixon is at identifying when he can bounce to a 1-on-1 matchup on the outside and how frequently he then wins those matchups.
Feasted in 2024 on runs like this for Houston #HTownMade pic.twitter.com/TvJtbxPI15
— John Crumpler (@JohnCrumplerMD) January 14, 2025
Popovich was also in charge of the run game blocking last season under Chris Strausser, which ended up being a strength for Houston in times of trouble last season.
“I have a really good working relationship and level of trust with Cole,” Caley said of Popovich. “He is a very good football coach and I’m excited to go through this process with him.”