The Houston Texans are 0-3, and the running game has become impossible to ignore. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the answer may be a shift in the backfield hierarchy, with Woody Marks set to see more work as Houston keeps searching for a spark on offense.
Graziano said, "Houston continues to look for answers in the run game. My sense of it is still that they'll give more work to Woody Marks, as he has generally been running better and looking more explosive than offseason addition David Montgomery."
Through three games, Marks has 22 carries for 65 yards. Montgomery has handled more of the load, with 37 carries for 103 yards. Neither runner has produced much, but Graziano’s read is that Marks has done enough to earn a bigger share of the touches.
That would mark a notable turn after Houston brought in Montgomery from the Detroit Lions in the offseason with the hope that he could steady a ground game that struggled throughout the 2025 season. The Texans saw him as a possible three-down option, and his physical style was supposed to give the offense a reliable presence in different situations.
Instead, the numbers have been modest. Montgomery is averaging 2.8 yards per carry, while Marks sits at 3.0. Those marks do not point to a solved problem, but Marks has flashed more burst, and that has kept him in the conversation.
There is also internal support for the younger back. Earlier in the season, general manager Nick Caserio praised Marks for maximizing his touches, while also saying both Marks and Montgomery had run well.
Marks gave Houston one of its few bright moments in Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts, when he scored a late touchdown that briefly put the Texans in front. He finished with five carries for 15 yards and that score.
With the Texans still winless, patience is running thin. The offense has struggled to move the ball with any consistency, and the ground game has been a major part of that problem, with both backs often meeting contact behind the line of scrimmage.
A bigger role for Marks would not magically fix Houston’s rushing issues. But if the Texans believe he is bringing more burst and efficiency than Montgomery, the next step is obvious: give him a larger runway and see what he can do.
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