Joe Mixon predicts ‘long run’ for the Texans this season

Joe Mixon switched teams and time zones this offseason, going from Cincinnati to Houston. And he sees no reason why the Texans can’t be a player for the Super Bowl.

Keep in mind that no Houston NFL team, whether it was the Oilers or the Texans, have ever played in the Super Bowl. And that the Texans are a year removed from being one of the worst teams in the league.

Now, they’re contenders thanks to quarterback C.J. Stroud, a favorite in preseason for NFL MVP, and a rebuilt defense. The Texans traded for Mixon, a Pro Bowler, to bolster their running game.

The team kicked off training camp this past Thursday. Since they open the NFL preseason schedule on Aug. 1 against the Bears, they got to start training camp a few days earlier.

Mixon, when meeting with the media Friday, made comparisons back to the Bengals, who played in the Super Bowl and two AFC title games, while Mixon was there.

“I’ve definitely been on a championship team before and I know what it’s like,” said Mixon, who starred at Oklahoma. “I know what it takes to get there. I feel like we have, no doubt, we have the best talent that I’ve seen here in a long time.

“I honestly feel like the team that we have here, I know that we’re ready to go and go for that long run. At the end of the day, we just gotta take it one week at a time, one day at a time and everything else will take place.”

Texans’ roster dripping with talent, says one NFL analyst

The Texans won the AFC South title in 2023. They beat the Browns to open the playoffs, then lost to the Ravens in Baltimore. Last year was unexpected. But fans want at least the same, if not more this season. The offense added both Mixon and former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs. The defense landed Danielle Hunter, one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.

Bucky Brooks, an NFL analyst for Fox Sports, ranked the talent on the Texans roster as the fifth-strongest in the league. Houston is behind only San Francisco, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Detroit. That’s some lofty company.

And for those who care about such details, the Texans were four spots higher on Brooks’ list than the Cowboys, their in-state rivals.