The Houston Texans’ running back depth took a hit in practice this week, and rookie Noah Whittington’s season is over before it really got going.
Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reported that the Texans placed Whittington on practice squad injured reserve after he suffered a torn quad in practice leading into Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Whittington was one of two undrafted rookie running backs Houston added after the draft this offseason, brought in as a depth option for the backfield. The Oregon product checked in at 5-foot-8 and 203 pounds, and he arrived after a productive college year in which he piled up more than 900 yards from scrimmage, averaged 6.4 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns. He had managed to hang around on the Texans’ practice squad to open the 2026 NFL season.
Now that run is cut short.
Whittington joins another UDFA back from that same offseason class, Joshua Pitsenberger, who has already been on season-ending injured reserve since cutdown day. And with a torn quad, Whittington is staring at a long recovery of his own. The Texans have dealt with that exact injury before, too.
Over the last 12 months, veteran safety M.J. Stewart and linebacker E.J.
Speed also suffered torn quads. Stewart’s injury came in December of 2025, and he only had his 21-day practice window opened last week.
Speed has been sidelined since going down with a torn quad this offseason.
For Houston, the bigger picture at running back still looks mostly the same heading into Week 4. The room now sits at five players between the active roster and practice squad, with all but one on the 53-man roster. David Montgomery and Woody Marks are the backs expected to handle the offensive workload, British Brooks has carved out a special teams role, and the team just brought back former captain Dare Ogunbowale by signing him off the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad.
Jawhar Jordan remains on the practice squad for his third season, and he showed late last year that he can step in if needed.
So while Whittington’s injury is a painful one for the rookie, it does not dramatically change Houston’s immediate plan. Montgomery and Marks are still the names to watch on offense, and the Texans could still look to add another running back to the practice squad in the coming days to give the position a little more depth.
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