Each of the last two seasons, the Houston Texans have been a middle of the pack rushing offense, but with the arrival of new offensive coordinator Nick Caley, there was hope that a more dynamic and consistent rushing attack would come along with a passing offense that put more on the shoulders of quarterback C.J. Stroud. However, an offseason injury to running back Joe Mixon has cast some doubt on how effective the Texans can be on the ground.
What the Texans have that many other teams don’t is a former four-time Pro Bowler serving as back-up running back. Nick Chubb signed with Houston earlier this summer, anticipating being the change of pace back behind Mixon. But with Mixon sidelined for at least the remainder of the preseason, the soon-to-be 30-year-old Chubb may be in line for a much heavier workload and a potentially history-making season.
Per ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime, since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, there have been 629 instances of a running back rushing for 1,000 or more yards. Only 49 of them were by players age 30 or older. For those who don’t have a calculator handy, that equates to eight percent of those 1,000 yard seasons. But last year, Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry joined this exclusive club, and Nick Chubb has his sights set on rushing his way into it too.
“[Henry] is different,” Chubb told ESPN. “You are not gonna put him in that category, he showed it’s not true. And I think that applies for me. I’m in the category with them. I’m different, and I feel good as I have been.”
Chubb will hit the age-30 mark in December, but in truth, the concern here may be less about his age and more about his injury history.
Injuries Derailed Potential Hall of Fame Caliber Career
It may seem like a stretch to say that Chubb was at one point on pace to eventually rush his way into Canton, but that’s exactly what the numbers from his first five NFL seasons suggest.
According to StatMuse, Chubb is one of just 14 running backs in league history who have rushed for at least 6,000 yards and 45 touchdowns in their first five seasons in the National Football League. But a serious knee injury in Week 2 of the 2023 season, and a broken foot late in the 2024 season have cast doubt on whether Chubb could ever return to pre-injury form.
If there’s a case to be made that Chubb can reach this level again, it would be rooted in the fact that Chubb had already suffered a catastrophic knee injury in college that was expected to forever change his ceiling.
And who knows, maybe it did. Maybe had Chubb not blown out his knee as a college sophomore, maybe he would’ve gone down as the greatest Georgia Bulldog not named Herschel Walker. Maybe he’d have another thousand yards rushing already. But those aren’t the cards he was dealt.
Nick Chubb Edges Out Dameon Pierce on First Unofficial Depth Chart
Even though Nick Chubb is in pole position to get the start in the opening week of the season if Joe Mixon remains out of action, he doesn’t have the spot locked up just yet. Dameon Pierce, who had a standout season as a rookie in 2022, is listed as the second-team running back, and he does likely have more burst at this stage in his career than Chubb does. Rookie running back Woody Marks has received high praise from Chubb himself, and could factor into the rotation too.
But as things stand right now, Chubb will get the first crack at playing with the first team, and that gives him a crack at history too.
“What I hang my hat on with him is that this guy loves football,” Texans head coach Ryans said of Chubb. “He’s physical. He plays the right way. He prepares himself the right way. He’s a guy who can play physical behind his pads. He can eat out yardage.”
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