Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or Roschon Johnson

Monday, July 22, 1:23 PM

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon (undisclosed) has been held out of training camp practice the last few days, but head coach DeMeco Ryans said Mixon "will be fine." "I'm not worried out Joe." It's not a long-term injury for the 27-year-old, so he should be 100 percent in plenty of time for the start of the 2024 regular season this fall. Mixon's absence will give Dameon Pierce and Dare Ogunbowale, among others, more reps early in training camp in Houston's backfield. When healthy, the former Bengals RB will be the Texans' clear lead back in 2024. "Workhorse. He's an absolute workhorse, in every regard," offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik recently said of Mixon. He's joining an offense on the rise, but Mixon is probably going to need to be much more efficient as a runner than he was last year in order to finish as a top-12 fantasy back in his first year in Houston.

Tuesday, February 27, 4:26 PM

On the podium at the 2024 NFL Combine, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said he "loves where Roschon Johnson is in his development." This was in response to a question about Johnson's potential prospects of being the team's lead back in 2024. The former Texas Longhorn rushed 81 times for 352 yards and two touchdowns and caught 34 passes for 209 yards in his rookie season after being selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. 25-year-old ball-carrier Khalil Herbert remains on the roster, while veteran D'Onta Foreman is a free agent. While Eberflus' comments are a good sign, it's far too early to project Johnson's potential workload. With a strong free agent and underrated rookie running back class available this offseason, the organization could easily add to its running back room.