The NFL Draft is over and organized team activities (OTA’s) are winding down. With the Houston Texans training camp right around the corner, as well as the 2017 season, we will predict how the depth chart will look for each position. For this article, the focus is going to be on the running back position.
Houston Texans Running Back Depth Chart Projections
1. Lamar Miller
There’s no doubt about who the carries the load for the Texans offense. Lamar Miller showed signs of greatness during his time with the Miami Dolphins. In 2014, Miller rushed for a career best 1,099 yards and eight touchdowns. In the 2015 season, however, Miami didn’t utilize Miller as much. Miller only carried the ball 194 times in the final year of his contract with the Dolphins.
Miller sought after a team in free-agency that would better utilize his skills. The Houston Texans decided to make him the feature back to replace Arian Foster and it seems to have been the right choice. In his first season with the Texans, Miller was a diamond in the rough with a mediocre-at-best offense. With an average offensive line and a below average quarterback, Miller was the workhorse of the offensive unit.
On 268 carries, Miller almost reached his career best with 1,073 yards and five touchdowns. He wasn’t utilized to his full potential in the passing game due to poor quarterback play, but Miller did contribute as a receiver as well. Assuming the play of the quarterback is better this season, Lamar Miller should have no problem repeating his success on the ground, as well as adding to the passing game in 2017.
2. D’Onta Foreman
This is a tough one. Alfred Blue has been a solid backup for Houston but D’Onta Foreman just brings something special. Foreman is a bigger running back but moves the ball with the finesse of a smaller back. He’ll definitely need to adjust to NFL defenses but Foreman was effective in pass blocking while he was at Texas. Even though the Longhorns didn’t utilize him much as a receiver, Foreman could definitely be used in the passing game for the Texans both as a receiver and a blocker.
Miller and Foreman could be the one-two punch the Texans need. We all witnessed how successful the Atlanta Falcons were with the running back duo of Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman. The Texans could have similar success with speed (Miller) and size (Foreman).
3. Alfred Blue
Alfred Blue has been a solid backup for the last three seasons. He even had a significant amount of playing time, including a starting role, in his first two seasons with the Texans. At the time, starting running back Arian Foster was plagued by injuries in his final seasons with the Texans. In his absence, Blue managed to start in 12 games in two seasons and rush for 1,226 yards and four touchdowns. Blue was also utilized as a receiver during those two seasons, catching 30 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
In the 2016 season, Blue’s role seemed to diminish somewhat. Blue carried the ball 100 times for 420 yards and a single touchdown; his career worst for each statistic. Blue also missed two games last season due to injury. The 2017 season will be his final year under his current contract and the Texans seem to be preparing to move on after drafting D’Onta Foreman in the third round. There’s a good chance Blue and Foreman could split reps at the backup position, but expect Bill O’Brien to lean heavily in favor of Foreman.
4. Tyler Ervin
Tyler Ervin gets the nod here simply because of his speed and versatility. Ervin is basically a slot receiver that can run the football. The Texans can use him in the running game, as well as the passing game and special teams. In 2016, Ervin was utilized mostly on special teams as a kick and punt returner. Ervin finished the season with 14 kicks returned for 263 yards and 27 punts returned for 261 yards.
The only concern with Ervin moving forward is turnovers. Ervin fumbled the ball three times last season, losing it twice. Fans should still remember when Ervin returned a punt for a touchdown in the divisional playoff game against the Raiders. That return was voided by a penalty and, on the rekick, Ervin completely muffed the punt. Luckily, the punt bounced back into the hands of Eddie Pleasant but, with a 20-7 score, a turnover there could have brought Oakland back into the game.
Tyler Ervin didn’t see much time on the field as a part of the offense in 2016. He rushed for three yards on a single carry and caught three passes for 18 yards in 12 games. I don’t expect much from him on the ground in 2017 but, along with returning kicks, we could see some added reps in the passing game.
