Now, that's certainly an eye-catching comment coming from Ryans when factoring in the pending status of Mixon. The Texans' veteran runner was far and away the lead man in Houston's backfield last year, handling a staggering 245 carries, 200+ more carries than the next closest backs in Dameon Pierce and Cam Akers, who each logged 40 apiece.

If Houston's top running back Joe Mixon starts season on non-football injury list he would have to miss first four games.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans explains how difficult it is to make roster cuts this year, as Week 1 approaches