Houston Texans: Running Back a Priority in 2016

The Houston Texans have a lot to work on this offseason, but one of the biggest issues they must address is at the running back position.

How many times are Houston Texans fans going to check their phone to see an alert that running back Arian Foster has another long-term injury and will miss more time before they are ready to move on? Many believe that 2015 was probably Foster’s last shot in a Texans uniform, including Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

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The Texans had to make due with their other running backs for most of 2015, and for the most part, they did a decent job of filling in. Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, and Jonathan Grimes carried most of the load and helped Houston to a middle-of-the-pack finish in terms of rushing yards for 2015. The quarterback position is also up in the air, however, and Houston needs a stronger running game to offset the lack of consistency through the air.

Houston was 6-1 in games in which they ran for at least 120 yards in 2015, but 3-7 (including playoffs) in games where they didn’t reach that mark. In 2014 Houston topped 150 yards on the ground five times, going 4-1 in those games. By contrast, Houston is 3-7 over the last two seasons when they’ve topped 250 passing yards. Clearly this Houston team is built to have success when they can move the ball on the ground, but relying on the passing game doesn’t always lead to victory.

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Sure, some of that has to do with the fact that when they trail they are forced to throw to catch up quickly, but its the duty of the offense to keep the defense off the field for a bit, and let them catch their breath. This isn’t an offense that is going to score a lot of points quickly, so long, slow drives are the keys to victory.

None of the backs that played much this season showed that they have the ability to be an every-down type of player, and its certainly possible they could improve, but Houston may have to look elsewhere for the long-term answer. Alfred Blue looked good, especially towards the end of the season, but he only scored three touchdowns this season despite almost 200 touches. If Houston can’t rely on him around the goal-line, its hard to count on him as the workhorse back.

Chris Polk is set to be an unrestricted free agent while Jonathan Grimes will be a restricted free agent, but both of their futures with Houston are up in the air. Both played decent roles in both the run and pass games this season, but neither seem built to be a workhorse back. Neither was able to top total yards, and both scored only twice.

Houston totaled only 7 rushing touchdowns this year, with two of them coming from quarterbacks, and the running backs (including Arian Foster) totaled only 10 total scores on the year. Houston needs points, and they haven’t been able to get them from their running backs. Something has got to change this offseason if they want to compete at a higher level next year.

In 2016 Doug Martin, Matt Forte, Chris Ivory, Lamar Miller, and Alfred Morris are among the top free agent running backs, which means Houston could be able to snag one of these guys as a possible franchise back. Forte is getting up there in years, but the rest of these guys should still have at least a few good seasons left in their legs.

Ezekiel Elliot, Derrick Henry, Alex Collins, Kenneth Dixon, and Devontae Booker are the top backs available in the 2016 NFL Draft, and its possible Houston looks to one of these players in the draft’s first few rounds as their running back of the future. An athletic young running back could pair nicely with Houston’s elite receiver DeAndre Hopkins and the stout Texans defense.

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Anyone you ask knows that quarterback is Houston’s biggest need this season, but running back is a big hole as well. Hopefully the Texans don’t focus too much on their passer they forget their runner, or they could be in for another disappointing end to their season in 2016.