Houston Texans fans spent much of the 2025 season trying to figure out what the team actually wanted to be on offense. Was this a ball-control group meant to protect a young quarterback, or a unit willing to live and die through the air?
By January, the answer felt clearer—and it didn’t bode well for the veteran running backs on the roster.
Houston finished with the No. 22 rushing offense in the NFL, a ranking that underscored a problem the Texans never truly solved. Injuries, declining explosiveness, and an inconsistent run-blocking unit all played a role, but the bigger issue may have been philosophical. The Texans didn’t just struggle to run the ball—they rarely committed to it.
That matters now because Houston is entering an offseason in which hard decisions at running back feel inevitable. With a front office focused on surrounding C.J. Stroud with long-term answers, sentimentality isn’t likely to carry much weight.
And one familiar name appears increasingly caught on the wrong side of that equation.
A Short-Term Experiment That Never Fully Took Off
The Texans took a low-risk approach last offseason, betting that experience and pedigree could stabilize the backfield while younger players developed. Early returns were passable. Availability, at least, wasn’t an issue.
But by midseason, the backfield hierarchy had shifted, and not subtly.
That’s when Nick Chubb began fading from the weekly game plan. Signed to a one-year deal after the Cleveland Browns moved on, Chubb entered the season with tempered expectations but a real opportunity. With Joe Mixon sidelined by a foot injury that ultimately erased his entire year, Houston needed someone to step forward.
Chubb finished with 506 rushing yards on 122 carries, averaging a respectable 4.1 yards per attempt. On paper, it wasn’t disastrous. In practice, it never changed games.
He didn’t record a single 100-yard performance. His longest stretch of meaningful usage came early, and by the back half of the season, second-year back Woody Marks had overtaken him in snaps and situational trust. For a team looking to raise its offensive ceiling, that shift spoke volumes.
According to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans are unlikely to bring Chubb back in free agency. The reasoning isn’t emotional—it’s structural. Houston doesn’t want to gamble on a back whose best years may already be behind him, especially when the roster still lacks a true RB1.
Houston’s Bigger Plan Is Starting to Come Into Focus
This isn’t just about one player aging out. It’s about how the Texans see themselves moving forward.
League analysts have already floated the idea that Houston could pursue a more dynamic option, including Breece Hall, to inject explosiveness into an offense that leaned too heavily on Stroud late in the year. The Texans want a running game that complements their defense, eats clock, and punishes lighter boxes—not one that simply survives.
That kind of vision leaves little room for nostalgia contracts or declining production curves.
Chubb’s injury history looms large here. A catastrophic knee injury in 2023, followed by a fractured foot late last season, makes projecting his durability risky. While his availability in 2025 was positive, the burst that once defined his game rarely showed up.
For Houston, the conclusion seems unavoidable. The Texans need a lead back, or at minimum someone who can compete for that role immediately. Betting on a reunion doesn’t align with where this team believes it’s headed.
Nick Chubb’s time in Houston wasn’t a failure—but it increasingly looks like a bridge the Texans are ready to burn as they chase something bigger in 2026.
Texans’ Backfield Shakeup Signals an Inevitable Exit at Running Back