Texans Ground Game Stalls as Montgomery Remains Sidelined
The Houston Texans find themselves at a precarious crossroads as they prepare for this weekend’s matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach DeMeco Ryans confirmed on November 4, 2026, that veteran running back David Montgomery will miss at least one more game, continuing his recovery from a lingering groin injury that has hampered his availability since Week 5. As the Texans enter the second half of the 2026 season, this ongoing absence—coupled with a lack of production from the backfield—has reignited conversations about whether the front office needs to make a move before the upcoming NFL trade deadline.
According to reporting from Sports Illustrated, Montgomery is currently listed as week-to-week. While Ryans noted that the veteran has made some progress in his rehab, there is no definitive timeline for his return to the active roster. This uncertainty leaves the Texans in a difficult position, specifically regarding their offensive identity.
The Statistical Reality of Houston’s Rushing Woes
The urgency to address the running back position is rooted in cold, hard data. Through their first seven games, the Texans rank 29th in the NFL in total rushing yards, managing only 593 yards on the ground. Their efficiency has been equally concerning, with a meager 3.6 yards per attempt. When Montgomery has been healthy enough to suit up, he has struggled to find a rhythm, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry and failing to eclipse 30 rushing yards per game.
DeMeco Ryans said RB David Montgomery has made some progress but added that he'll be out on Sunday vs. the Chargers.
While quarterback C.J. Stroud has provided stability through the air, the lack of a balanced attack places an outsized burden on the passing game. Woody Marks has emerged as a bright spot for the team, providing much-needed energy in the ground game, but the depth behind him remains thin. Without a secondary, reliable option to rotate in, the offense risks becoming one-dimensional as defenses adjust to the Texans’ limitations.
Evaluating Potential Trade Deadline Strategies
With the trade deadline approaching early next week, the Texans’ front office faces a classic evaluation of risk versus reward. Earlier this offseason, the team signaled its intent to bolster the run game by trading multiple day-three draft picks and Juice Scruggs to the Detroit Lions for Montgomery. Given that investment, the current output is a significant disappointment.
The question now is whether the team should push for a high-impact acquisition or look for a cost-effective depth piece to stabilize the room. A massive swing—such as targeting an elite back like Jonathan Taylor or Saquon Barkley—appears unlikely given team dynamics and the reluctance of rival organizations to part with core talent. However, the market for depth pieces remains active.
The Texans have a couple of different approaches to take here when it comes to improving their running back room at the deadline. On one hand, Houston could take a massive swing at the position to push the chips in for this season. But that might not be a super realistic result to expect.
Names like TreVeyon Henderson, Devin Singletary, and Tony Pollard have surfaced in league-wide trade rumors, representing potential targets that could offer immediate support for Marks. Adding a reliable veteran would provide a fail-safe for the remainder of the schedule and offer the team a cushion should Montgomery’s recovery timeline continue to fluctuate. For a team with postseason aspirations, relying on a struggling or incomplete backfield is a gamble that the front office may be unwilling to take.
Texans RB David Montgomery won’t return this week. https://t.co/ZOJzBRCZbc
Texans Face Pressure to Protect Quarterback and Fix Offense
The “so what” of this situation extends beyond just box scores. For the Texans, the immediate challenge is protecting their quarterback and ensuring the offense remains productive enough to compete in the AFC. Every game lost due to a stagnant ground game is a missed opportunity to climb the standings. If the team fails to address the lack of depth, they risk forcing Stroud to carry the team’s offensive output entirely on his shoulders, an unsustainable strategy as the season transitions into the colder, more physical months of the year.
The front office has until early next week to decide whether the current roster is sufficient for a postseason push. If they opt for silence at the deadline, they are essentially betting that Montgomery will return to full health and that the current personnel can reverse their season-long trend of inefficiency. It is a high-stakes decision that will define the team’s ceiling for the remainder of 2026.
