Joe Mixon credited his offensive line for paving the way to a stellar Houston Texans’ debut against the Indianapolis Colts.
Traded from Cincinnati, Mixon lived up to the billing as a bell-cow back by rushing for 159 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. The offensive line looked at its peak by creating lanes for the Pro Bowl runner to set the tone at Lucas Oil Stadium.
But Mixon, who currently leads the NFL in scrimmage yards with 178 heading into Week 2, gave one more thank you in the locker room before boarding a flight back home.
“Special shout-out to (Cade) Stover,” Mixon told reporters. “He made critical blocks. … I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a fullback in front of me. It’s a hell of a feeling, man.”
Joe Mixon gives a special shoutout to Cade Stover
Also expresses his happiness playing “grown man football” & the use of fullbacks https://t.co/iWC9ohAETu pic.twitter.com/mpLnn7qiUX
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) September 8, 2024
Stover, the Texans’ fourth-round pick of Ohio State, will carve out playing time in 2024, but where remains the mystery. With Dalton Schultz missing practice, the former Buckeye could see reps at his natural tight end position.
He also could remain Houston’s lead fullback while learning on the fly. Learning positions is nothing new for Stover since he committed to Ohio State as a linebacker before swapping sides in 2020.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Stover earned the trust to learn a new position. After roster cutdowns, Houston was left without a full-time fullback, so Stover and undrafted rookie British Brooks began to take reps in practice.
On Sunday, Stover saw the most action with 15 reps. He stepped up late in the fourth quarter by setting up a block to help Mixon pick up a first down. He also helped keep his former college quarterback C.J. Stroud upright on two pass attempts.
“Cade is somebody who’s very selfless,” Stroud said Wednesday. “He’s been like that since I met him. And he’s willing to do everything to win and I think he played great in his first game.”
Stroud, who trusted Stover to be his top red zone target in 2022 in Columbus, knows the transition period is the toughest, but nothing a player who’s been through this before can’t tackle head-on.
“It’s not easy going out there, not knowing – not getting a whole bunch of reps doing a new position but he attacked it and he really just wants to win and I love that dude,” said Stroud.
Stover will have a chance to improve his rep count