The Houston Texans are not done exploring options that could boost their team, and that search has led to free agent running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb, the former Cleveland Browns star, remains a free agent after missing nine games in 2024, recovering from a devastating knee injury and suffering a broken foot that prematurely ended his comeback.
Presumably fully healthy now, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Texans have eyes on Chubb.
“I was told that he’s hoping to sign here soon, and maybe he gets something done before a minicamp, gets into a team. Four-time Pro Bowler,” Fowler said on “SportsCenter” on June 8. “I’m told Houston could be one to watch here. They’ve been looking at that running back market, maybe adding somebody with Joe Mixon.”
Chubb rushed for 332 yards on 103 carries, or a career-worst 3.3 yards per attempt, with 3 touchdowns in 2024. After beginning his career with five straight seasons of at least 996 yards, Chubb has rushed for 502 yards over his last two seasons, due largely to injury.
He has played every game during the regular season three times, in 2018, 2019, and 2022.
Chubb, who turns 30 in December, also tore multiple ligaments in his knee in 2015, underscoring how much of an injury risk he remains amid the Texans’ interest.
Texans Linked to RB After Joe Mixon Posts Cryptic Message
GettyJoe Mixon #28 of the Houston Texans warms up before a game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Fowler reported that a return to the Browns remains on the table for Chubb, “one of the top free agents,” but that it is unlikely due to Cleveland selecting multiple backs in the 2025 draft. That notion could also apply to the Texans, which makes their interest in Chubb more intriguing.
Mixon is on a three-year, $25.5 million contract and could have difficulty landing a new one.
“He obviously still has a bit left in the tank and extending him a year could provide some good will,” the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan M. Alexander wrote in May. “He’s still one of the eight highest-paid running backs in the NFL. He’ll also be 30 by the end of his contract, which is the age running backs typically slow down.
“It’s not urgent, given he still ranks in the top eight and has two years left on his current deal. Next year is a different story.”
Mixon recently posted a cryptic message, which may have hinted at a move for the Texans.
Mixon, spotted in a walking boot this offseason, missed three games in 2024, just as he did in 2022, and has logged full slates of regular-season games three times (2019, 2021, when he missed the finale for rest, and 2023) in his eight-year career.
While perhaps less so than Chubb, the Texans’ star is also a relatively high injury risk. Still, it is not his spot on the Texans’ roster that Chubb figures to threaten if signed.
Nick Chubb Link Puts Texans RBs on Notice
GettyNick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns looks on during warmups before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Texans drafted USC’s Woody Marks in the fourth round (No. 116 overall) of the 2025 draft, adding him to a room that also already includes 2022 fourth-rounder (No. 107 overall) Dameon Pierce and veteran third-down back Dare Ogubowale.
Houston also has reserves J.J. Taylor and 2024 sixth-round Jawhar Jordan under contract, again adding intrigue to the Texans’ rumored interest in Chubb.
Marks, Mixon, and fullback British Brooks are the only backs under contract after 2025.
Chubb is not a long-term play, which suggests that one of the projected rotation backs could be on the way out. Piece, in particular, has already come up in trade speculation. An injury elsewhere could present an opportunity for the Texans, presuming they add Chubb.
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