David Montgomery’s Injury and Inefficiency Put His Texans Role Under Pressure

David Montgomery’s position in the Houston Texans’ backfield is under pressure for two separate reasons: a groin injury has sidelined him, and his early-season rushing efficiency has been poor.

The Texans announced on October 15 that Montgomery would not travel to London for Houston’s October 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The team listed the running back with a groin injury and ruled him out alongside wide receiver Tank Dell and safety Jalen Pitre.

That absence creates an immediate opening for Woody Marks, who has already shown he can handle a larger workload. In Houston’s Week 5 victory over Tennessee, Marks carried 15 times for 62 yards and added four receptions for 23 yards. The Texans’ official player log lists him with 149 rushing yards on 43 attempts through five games this season, an average of 3.5 yards per carry.

Montgomery’s numbers are weaker. Houston acquired the veteran from Detroit on March 11, and the team’s official statistics list him with 138 rushing yards on 52 attempts through five games. That works out to 2.65 yards per carry. He has scored twice, but he has not produced a rushing gain of 20 or more yards this season.

The comparison is not a simple case of one player replacing another. Marks has also averaged only 3.5 yards per carry, so Houston’s broader rushing problems cannot be assigned entirely to Montgomery. But Marks has received fewer opportunities while producing a higher rushing average, and his performance against Tennessee demonstrated that he can absorb meaningful work.

That matters because Montgomery was brought in as part of Houston’s effort to strengthen its ground game. The Texans traded offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and draft compensation to Detroit for him, making the veteran an intentional part of the offense rather than a low-cost depth addition. His 2025 season with the Lions produced 716 rushing yards on 158 attempts, or 4.5 yards per carry, according to the NFL’s player statistics.

The central question is therefore not whether Montgomery will remain on the roster. Houston’s official roster still lists him as an active running back. The more consequential question is whether he returns as the unquestioned lead option or enters a more competitive split with Marks.

Montgomery’s injury makes that decision harder to postpone. A player who misses a game loses valuable preparation time, while the replacement back gains live-game opportunities. If Marks continues to perform adequately, Houston can use a committee approach rather than automatically restoring Montgomery to his previous workload.

There is also an important limit to the current evidence. Montgomery has played only five games for Houston, and his low average comes from a small early-season sample. The Texans have not announced that his role is changing, and the team’s official coverage earlier in the season described Montgomery and Marks as sharing the workload.

What Houston does next will reveal more than the “hot seat” label. The first checkpoint will be Montgomery’s return to practice. The second will be how the Texans divide carries and passing-down work once both backs are available. If Montgomery returns healthy and his efficiency improves, the current pressure may fade quickly. If Marks continues to convert his opportunities while Montgomery remains unproductive, Houston will have a football reason—not merely an injury-related one—to shift the balance.