The injury bug that has ravaged the Houston Texans’ linebacker room and hit their wide receiver corps continues to also impact their backfield, with Noah Whittington the latest setback.
“Texans rookie practice squad running back Noah Whittington tore his quadriceps in practice this week and is expected to be out for the remainder of the season, per a league source,” KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson reported on X on October 1.
Whittington was the Texans’ second-leading rusher during the 2026 preseason.
He tallied 51 yards on 22 attempts. He caught his lone target for a loss of 4 yards during the exhibition slate.
The Texans are fortunate that they remain healthy at the top of their depth chart with David Montgomery and Woody Marks, but the former has been inefficient as a runner and the latter has battled injuries in his young career.
RB3 British Brooks is also sidelined.
The Texans’ only other back is another practice squad contributor, Jawhar Jordan, who also has durability concerns.
Texans Lose Noah Whittington for Season
Whittington was viewed as someone who could give the Texans a physical, albeit limited, threat in the backfield.
“Sixth-year senior with three seasons of steady play and production for the Ducks. Whittington is a downhill runner who plays behind his pads and takes care of the football along the interior. He lacks speed to widen the field and fluidity to create for himself when there is no clear point of entry,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote ahead of the 2026 draft.
“Tough and relatively decisive, with a knack for falling forward and adding yards through physicality. Whittington’s age and lack of true third-down value might work against him in his pursuit of a roster spot.”
Zierlein notably projected Whittington as a sixth- or seventh-round pick.
“Whittington is a compact, muscular runner with vision and burst through the hole and toughness as a finisher and blocker,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote pre-draft.
Brugler also noted the potential red flag around Whittington coming into the NFL. He added, “Given the questions about his size and durability, he projects as a rotational back in an NFL backfield.”
Houston Texans Get Bad News on ‘Tough’ Running Back