Joe Mixon will be missed by the Cincinnati Bengals, but their approach will be different.

The Bengals changed course after originally intending to release Mixon on Monday. Instead, according to people with knowledge of the trade, they will trade him to the Houston Texans, as NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport revealed on Tuesday.

The trade’s terms have not yet been made public.

Mixon, who took a pay cut to stay with the Bengals throughout the offseason, was set to be released by Cincinnati after the team reached an agreement with free agency running back Zack Moss on Monday. It seems that this year, fait accompli sides would separate. Cincy saves $6.1 million on the cap plus $2.75 million in dead money by trading Mixon, who had a salary cap figure of $8.85 million.

The Texans, who’d reportedly been in on the Saquon Barkley sweepstakes, had a need at running back after Devin Singletary agreed to terms with the New York Giants. After wading through the early run on RBs, Houston made a sensible move for Mixon, who has one year left on his deal and is set to cost the Texans around $5.75 million.

Mixon’s physical style fits the Texans well, and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik should be able to milk at least one more positive season out of the back. However, the 27 year old did appear to have lost a step last season, lacking explosive plays and breaking fewer tackles than in previous seasons. Still, Mixon should help keep the Texans in positive down and distances, something they struggled with early last season before Singletary came on strong.

While he does have some pass-catching ability, he was never a volume receiver during his seven seasons in Cincinnati. Unless the Texans see untapped potential from Mixon in that area, a low-cost third-down receiving back remains a need.