2025 was a tale of two halves for Houston Texans' running back Woody Marks. The first half was weeks one through nine, where Marks was penciled in as the backup to eight-year veteran Nick Chubb. The second half was weeks 10 through 17 where Marks was handed the reins to the backfield as the new lead back in offensive coordinator Nick Caley's offense. 

For reference, here are his splits for the two half-seasons:

Weeks one through nine:

- 67 carries

- 241 yards (30.1 yards per game)

- 1 rushing touchdown

- 13 receptions (21 targets)

- 165 receiving yards (20.6 yards per game)

- 2 receiving touchdowns

Weeks 10-17:

- 129 carries

- 462 yards (57.8 yards per game)

- 1 rushing touchdown

- 11 receptions (15 targets)

- 43 receiving yards (5.4 yards per game)

- 1 receiving touchdown

Whenever Marks was featured in the offensive game plan on game days, he brought an elusiveness, versatility and vision that reminded many of the kind of impact the Joe Mixon once had last season (before being lost to his mystery foot injury). 

He would find cutback lanes, provide reliable hands in the passing game and even help finish off games with his tough running in between the tackles whenever the team called his number. 

After finally becoming the tip of the rushing spear last season, Marks was given roughly double the carries, rushed for about double his total yardage for his previous eight games and almost doubled his average yards per game output. Besides receiving yards, Marks elevated his game in almost every way he could once the offense begin relying on him down the stretch. 

While he finished with 703 rushing yards total, a projection of his latter 57.8 yards per game average across a full 17 game season would amount to 982.6 yards. Essentially, Marks looks to be a no worse than a 1,000 yard rusher if given a starter's workload across an entire year's worth of NFL contests. 

That's great news for Marks and the Texans, as both sides are looking to further ignite a rushing attack that ranked no higher than 22nd in the league in several statistical categories (eighth-best in turnovers, 31st in total touchdowns). 

As free agency begins on March 11th, many fans and media members believe it would be best for the Texans to look into names like Tyler Allgeier (Atlanta Falcons), Breece Hall (New York Jets), David Montgomery (Detroit Lions), and even Travis Etienne (Jacksonville Jaguars) to help fill in the gaps left in the absence of Mixon. 

In draft circles, many mocks have Houston selecting Notre Dame back Jadarian Price to tote the football for 2026 and beyond. 

Regardless, Marks has shown more than enough to receive strong consideration for no worse than 1B status in Houston's rushing attack, as he provides a resilience and closing ability that proved vital for the Texans in a litany of key games last season. 

Should Marks remain the starting running back? Or, should he slot in as more of a split-carry type of back? Let us know in the comments section below and by mentioning us on X at @Texans_RTB and on TikTok at @Texans.Roundtable!