HOUSTON – Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon remained sidelined at practice Wednesday and is regarded as week to week in his recovery from a sprained ankle suffered against the Chicago Bears that sidelined him last week against the Minnesota Vikings and may keep him out Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Cam Akers, who rushed for just 21 yards on nine carries for a 2.3 average per run as he started against the Vikings, is prepping to be RB1 again.
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There’s growing optimism that backup running back Dameon Pierce is close to returning, per sources, as he’s making a steady recovery from a strained hamstring. Pierce was not practicing Wednesday, though.
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Mixon injured his ankle on a hit from Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards that drew a $16,883 fine from the league for an illegal hip drop tackle.
Mixon’s injury isn’t regarded as a long-term issue, but is sidelined still due to a lack of ability to cut at optimal levels due to the ankle injury, according to league sources.
Meanwhile, Texans wide receiver Tank Dell injured his hand-wrist area at the end of a lopsided road loss to the Vikings and has sore ribs.
Dell is not practicing Wednesday.
His injuries aren’t regarded as long-term issues, but he is dealing with a lot of soreness, per sources.
Dell wasn’t available for comment after the game due to his injured status. He didn’t have a wrap or brace on his hand in the locker room after the game.
Dell caught a season-high five passes for 62 yards on six targets in the Texans’ 34-7 loss, their first of the season.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans downplayed the severity of the injury sustained by the former third-round draft pick from the University of Houston.
“Yeah, we’ll see how Tank goes throughout the week, but he should be fine,” Ryans said.
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Dell entered Sunday with four receptions for 37 yards through two games. He caught one pass for minus-three yards on four targets in a win last week over the Bears,
Dell caught 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games as a rookie last season before he broke his fibula.
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 click2houston.com.
