The Houston Texans have the “luxury” in their backfield with David Montgomery and Woody Marks, according to NFL insider Jane Slater.
Slater caused a stir when she said during a recent appearance on “The Insiders” that Marks and Montgomery were expected to “split” the lead-back duties this coming season, a notion that was counterintuitive to what had previously been reported and said.
Slater cleared the air, but it is still apparent that Marks will not simply “spell” Montgomery.
NFL Insider Clears Air on Texans’ David Montgomery, Woody Marks
GettyWoody Marks’ role with the Houston Texans figures to be game-plan specific.
Slater shared a post on X encouraging Texans fans and “Montgomery STANS” along with clarification that “split” was used “too early,” since they have not been in pads or gone through contact drills yet and should be reframed as “tandem.”
The insider also urged fans to “hone in on” the words “vision” and “luxury.” She also highlighted that the situation remains fluid.
Slater included a segment from “Good Morning Football” in which she clarified her comments.
“The vision in Houston is that they are going to split time there,” Slater said on “GMFB” on July 23. “A source told me that this is not going to be necessarily a 50-50 split because health, game flow, matchups, they all dictate the touches. But that doesn’t mean that there’s not going to be meaningful roles for both. And, honestly, that’s where the NFL has been trending over the last five seasons.”
Former Texans safety Jahleel Addae noted the challenges that facing two different kinds of backs like Montgomery and Marks presents. He compared the situation to what the New Orleans Saints did with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.
“I pulled some numbers from our stats. 15 teams have had two different running backs eclipse 700 rushing yards [in 2025]. And the five years before that, just five teams. And it’s become less and less about that one workhorse and more about keeping two backs fresh and productive,” Slater said.
“If you can stay ahead of the chains, everything opens up. And really, honestly, probably my favorite part of this debate in social media is they treat this backfield truly like it is a demotion. It’s actually a luxury. So instead of coming at me saying, ‘This is ridiculous. This is never going to happen,’ I need you to take away from the word ‘split,’ and I need you to see working in tandem together is the goal and bringing along this young rookie with David Montgomery still getting a healthy amount of those touches.”
David Montgomery Had ‘Issue’ With Lions
GettyDavid Montgomery could have a different role than expected with the Houston Texans.
Slater noted in her post that Marks “was only named the starter in Week 10 and popped” and that Montgomery is “a vet RB looking to extend his career out of the dreaded 7 year itch.”
The insider pointed to the latter’s time with the Detroit Lions as an example of what a successful RB tandem is capable of. However, Slater also noted that such an arrangement requires buy-in from both players. That was an issue for Montgomery in Detroit towards the end, per Slater.
The Texans, who traded for Montgomery, presented an opportunity for a larger role.
“Talking to some people around there, maybe that was a little bit of an issue there. Montgomery thought he could give more. [Jahmyr] Gibbs was coming on,” Slater said. “Houston seemed like an attractive spot. And then Houston looks at Montgomery and says, ‘This is great for our guy, Woody Marks, that we already saw flashes from.’”
Texans Get Encouraging Update
GettyWoody Marks’ mother provided an encouraging update about her son and his teammate David Montgomery.
If there was a rift with the Lions, Montgomery has largely kept it to himself. He wished the organization well and called Gibbs his little brother. He has also not shown any negative effects of a possibly larger split than anticipated with Marks in the Texans’ backfield.
Marks’ mother shared a picture of the duo hanging out during a fishing excursion.
“The bond is for real,” Marks’ mother said in the caption of her post on X on July 22. “My favorite 2 running backs.”
Marks and Montgomery were highly complimentary of one another during the offseason. They, combined with the Texans’ revamped offensive line, appear poised to revitalize what was a moribund rushing attack in 2025.
Woody Marks Gets Critical Clarity About Texans’ Plans