We keep going through our series of what the Texans could add before training camp to round out their roster. No team will have a perfect roster. You will always have holes or positions where you counting on young and/or injured players to step up. We have already looked at defensive end and so we now add running back to the mix. As was stated last time, the Texans probably can add one more significant free agent (ie more than veteran minimum), so this is not a ringing endorsement for any of these
players. It is a simple smattering of what is possibly available.
The justification for an extra running should not be hard to grasp considering what happened with Joe Mixon last year. Nick Chubb was signed to be a backup running and ended up having a job share with Woody Marks. The overall numbers looked effective for him, but like anything else, a few breakout runs masked an overall lackluster performance.
Marks went to the medical tent at least once in every game he played last season. If he or David Montgomery were to go down you would end up in the same exact situation that you were in in 2025. Jawhar Jordan and British Brooks are back and showed they could carry some of the load last season. There are always undrafted free agents and street free agents that serve as camp fodder. Yet, there could be a place for a Chubb level of back to take five to ten carries a game in an offense that seems more geared to run the football.
Najee Harris
Key Stats: 15 carries, 61 yards, 0 TD, 3 catches, 25 yards, 0 TD
Career Stats (five seasons): 1112 carries, 4373 yards, 28 TD, 183 catches, 1174 yards, 6 TD
Normally, we would throw in some PFF scores, but Harris blew out his Achilles in the first week of the season. That makes him almost a carbon copy of Chubb. As we saw with Chubb, he was not really close to the back that was gaining 1500 yards in Cleveland every year, but he brought in a baseline of performance. He brought in some veteran leadership which also corresponded to picking up blitzes and being at least relevant in the passing game.
The upside for Harris is pretty clear. He had four straight 1000+ yard seasons in Pittsburgh before signing with the Cardinals. Based on the week one stats, he seemed well on his way to having similar numbers. The downside is that recoveries from Achilles tears can linger longer their ACL brothers. Running backs have a spotty record coming back from these injuries.
The market did not materialize for Harris to compete for a starting spot and that is probably a good thing. Signing him would amount to nothing more than insurance for Montgomery and Marks. As such, a player that is likely to get better as the season goes along might actually be a welcome addition because those bumps and bruises usually come as the season is dragging on. Having a fresh Harris in November and December could come in handy.
Austin Ekeler
Key Stats: 14 carries, 43 yards, 0 TD, 5 catches, 38 yards, 0 TD
Career Stats (nine seasons): 1081 carries, 4765 yards, 43 TD, 480 catches, 4288 yards, 30 TD
Ekeler also tore his Achilles last September. Ekeler is a very different running back than Harris, so it depends on what role the Texans want to fill. Marks is a third down back waiting to happen, so having another receiving running back might not be what they are looking for. He will be entering his tenth season, but he does not have the workload of a bell cow back and never has gained 1000 yards in a season.
In the baseball world, this is where we would throw in terms like replacement level. That level has been pretty strictly defined in baseball, but for football it is a little more nebulas. The question is how much more you would get our of an Ekeler (or Harris) as compared to a Jordan, Brooks, or undrafted free agent. He has been cleared by doctors for duty, but that doesn’t tell us what is actually left in the tank.
Ekeler probably qualifies as a change of pace back which could be an intriguing partner with Montgomery’s hardnosed running style. A third back would almost certainly be replicating someone’s skills. The question is who you would want to replicate? Is it more important to have another David Montgomery or is it more important to have another Woody Marks?
Kareem Hunt
Key Stats: 163 carries, 611 yards, 8 TD, 18 catches, 143 yards, 1 TD
Career Stats (nine seasons): 1393 carries, 5775 yards, 55 TD, 267 catches, 2209 yards, 18 TD
A large part of being a successful general manager in any sport is how you manage risk. This is what this series is all about. Which position makes the most sense to make that last minute add given the risks involved? Even if running back were to be the position of most acute need, these three players all carry with them different risks. Hunt was healthy last season, so there isn’t the question of whether he will recover from injury. The question will be how effective he will be even when healthy.
It is a question of relative value. What additional value does he add that Jordan and Brooks do not? Experience counts for something. Yet, this is a question of skill level. There are those in the baseball world that will reference “the back of the baseball card.” 2020 Kareem Hunt is not walking through that door. The question is what 2026 Hunt has to offer.
Putting it all together
Even we assume that running back is the most acute position of need, we have to interpret what the need actually is. If I were looking from the outside looking in then it would seem that having someone that could step up and carry the ball 15 to 20 times if need be would be the most acute need. That looks like Najee Harris if he is healthy. Of course, having another weapon like Ekeler would also be welcomed as well. What do you think the Texans need?
