The Houston Texans could bring back Joe Mixon for their game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, the first time he will play since suffering an ankle injury in Week 2.

The play that injured Mixon was something the running back was still thinking about when he returned to practice with the Texans on Thursday.

Mixon was tackled by Chicago Bears linebacker TJ Edwards with a hip-drop tackle — something the NFL banned this offseason and would vigorously enforce during the season. Edwards was not penalized in the game for the tackle and was only fined $16,833 by the NFL.

After the match, Mixon took to social media to express his thoughts on the lack of punishment for Edwards.

Staying on topic last week, Mixon took aim at the NFLPA when he responded to the union’s X account when it posted a statement about the recent debate over media access. “Player safety is what matters and should be the focus, not access to the media,” he wrote.

Meeting with reporters on Thursday, Mixon was still hot.

One part of the way NFL fines are distributed that really upset Mixon is in situations where a player was trying to protect themselves — lowering a helmet when they’re about to be tackled — leading to more expensive penalties for those players and not for those who perform tackles that could injure opponents.

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs and Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet were fined $45,020 (more than one violation), and Mixon’s teammate, Nico Collins, was fined $22,511 in recent weeks for “Unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet)”.

Mixon’s participation in Thursday’s practice is a good sign for his availability in Week 6. He said he will participate in Friday’s practice and then decide whether to play on Sunday.