The Houston Texans are staring at the NFL trade deadline with a problem that’s easy to spot and even easier to justify fixing: the running back room is too thin.
At 2-5, Houston is still trying to keep itself in the playoff conversation, and that makes the next two weeks matter. The roster has enough talent to believe there’s a path forward, but the backfield has become the clearest place to hunt for help.
David Montgomery was supposed to be a major boost when the Texans added him earlier this offseason, but it hasn’t played out that way. He’s been on the field for five games and hasn’t delivered at the level Houston hoped for, and now he’s missed two straight games because of a lingering groin injury.
That absence has left the Texans stretched dangerously thin. Woody Marks is the main option, while the other names behind him are Jawhar Jordan, who is on the practice squad injured reserve, and Dare Ogunbowale, who still hasn’t logged a carry this season.
That’s why this feels like the obvious deadline lane for Houston. If Montgomery isn’t producing and Marks needs help taking some of the rushing load off his shoulders, the Texans have a pretty clear reason to go shopping.
There are a few backs floating around in trade talk, but not every rumor fits Houston’s situation. Jonathan Taylor is the splashiest name out there, but a deal with the Indianapolis Colts would be a tough one to imagine for a division rival. Tony Pollard has also come up as a possible mover from the Tennessee Titans, though divisional trades rarely come together.
The more realistic options may be elsewhere.
Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner stands out as one possibility. He’s been viewed as a trade candidate since the team acquired Jeremiyah Love in this year’s draft, and he would give Houston another experienced option in the backfield.
Another name that makes sense is Devin Singletary, who just scored the game-winning touchdown against the Texans in Week 7. Singletary has already been part of the Houston franchise once before, and after what the Texans saw in that loss to the Giants, he looks like the kind of low-risk move that could pay off.
Houston may ultimately stand pat. But if the Texans are going to make one reasonable upgrade before the deadline, the running back spot is the place to watch.
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One name that naturally comes up is Tampa Bays Vita Vea, one of the leagues premier run-stuffing defensive tackles. A move like that would not be simple, though, because Vea recently signed an extension and the Buccaneers would have little reason to part with him easily. Still, the Texans could at least explore the possibility, even if it means putting future draft capital on the table for a fix that would be hard to find any other way. [Read more 🡒]