David Montgomery Is Out Against the Browns and the Texans Need a Plan Beyond Woody Marks

David Montgomery went from a full practice Friday to out Saturday, and the Houston Texans head to Cleveland with a backfield question that goes beyond who gets the first carry. Montgomery will miss his fourth straight game with a groin injury. Woody Marks practiced fully Friday after sitting out Thursday with a knee injury and carries no game designation. I’d start with Marks on Sunday, but I’d give Emari Demercado a role early enough to see what he can do while the game is still up for grabs. 

Marks carried 18 times for 70 yards in Houston’s 44-22 win over the Chargers on Nov. 8. Demercado had six carries for 16 yards and caught a pass for 8 more. Houston claimed him off waivers Oct. 28, and with Montgomery still out, Sunday offers a chance to see how much of the offense the Texans can run with Demercado in the backfield.

The Texans should give him a series in the first half. Let him take a first-down handoff, stay in for a play-action pass and handle a protection assignment if Cleveland gets Houston into third down. A handful of carries scattered across the afternoon can tell you whether a back found a crease. A full series can tell you whether the coaches trust him to handle whatever comes up next.

That matters for anyone already thinking about the 2027 draft. If Demercado can handle several kinds of snaps, Houston has more flexibility when it evaluates the room. If the offense has to pare down the playbook every time Marks comes off the field, that’s a specific depth problem the front office can address.

Cleveland entered Week 10 with 26 sacks, fourth in the NFL. Houston also ruled out wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. with a hamstring injury and tight end Brevin Jordan with finger and foot injuries. Tank Dell practiced fully Thursday and Friday and has no game designation. 

I’d use that mix of personnel to make the Browns defend both sides of the field. Send Dell across the formation before the snap and give C.J. Stroud a back releasing the other way. If the linebackers follow Dell, there’s room for a quick throw outside. If they sit on the outlet, Stroud can look downfield. And when the Browns show pressure up the middle, I want the back to know exactly who he’s responsible for before the ball is snapped.

That’s where a reserve can earn trust without putting up a big rushing number. Pick up a blitz on third-and-5 and give Stroud time to find Nico Collins beyond the sticks. I’ll remember that snap longer than a 12-yard carry with the game already decided.

Houston is 3-5 heading into Sunday’s noon Central kickoff on Fox, then hosts Indianapolis on Thursday, Nov. 19. With two games in five days, I want the Texans to come out of Cleveland knowing what they can ask of Demercado in a close game. Give him a possession before halftime, when Cleveland still has to defend the whole playbook. If he can help extend that drive, Marks gets a breather and Houston has another back it can trust when the fourth quarter gets tight