Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III emerges as a fan favorite. But should the Texans still target another running back in the draft after securing him?
While the rumor mill cranks up with less than two weeks until the start of free agency (March 11th), fans and media of the Houston Texans have been speculating about personnel decisions non stop.
Kenneth Walker III is the popular choice for Texans
One of those decisions is if, or most likely when, current running back Joe Mixon will be released from the team in order to clear the decks for the next iteration of the backfield.
Replacement names like Breece Hall, Tyler Allgeier, Rico Dowdle and Travis Etienne have made their rounds in the media circuit, but Kenneth Walker III seems to be the people's choice if there ever was one.
Both national and local voices has echoed the sentiment of the Texans acquiring the 25-year old Super Bowl LX MVP, and recent reports have only made those ideations pick up more steam.
The fourth-year back will be a free agent starting March 11th. It's a bit of a weird occurrence, considering he's eclipsed 900 yards or more three times (1,000 or more twice), has played in 12 games or more in all four seasons (15 or more three times) and just put up the second-most rushing yards in a Super Bowl game in NFL history with 135 yards (It was the most since the record setting performance of hall of fame rusher Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII, when he had 157 yards and three touchdowns).
Regardless of the why, Walker's availability is a giant green flag for Houston, as they are reportedly going to be scouring the free agent market for high-end talent at the position.
With Walker, Should Houston Still Draft At the Position?
Additionally, many draft analysts and casual mock drafters have projected for Houston to select a young rusher in this year's draft as well.
But the question becomes, if Walker does in fact land in Houston for 2026 and beyond, should there still be an urgency about finding another option out of college also?
Conducting a survey on that very question, here are the answers of various fans, and the analysis points for their selections:
X user @txfanforlife mentioned grabbing one in the fourth round, expressing the cyclical practice of drafting running backs as being a pragmatic method.
X user @D_Town7639 reached into the archives to reference the franchise's greatest rusher in Arian Foster. Citing an absence of the unit's on-field impact since his final playing days in Houston, D_Town thinks that talent overload is the way to manufacture the turnaround.
X user @ChasinWealth directly said no to the notion, standing firm on Woody Marks being the best option as the backup running back/do-it-all back in Houston's offense. They also mentioned other holes on the team as being better suited for the use of the available cap/draft capital post Walker signing.
X user @bobbyhillchive gave running back Jawhar Jordan some love, stating that he, along with Walker III/free agent back and Marks would be more than capable in handling the ground attack for the offense. Drafting a young runner much later in the drive would be the play here.
X user @followthedreads, along with a similar answer from @n0mad_sc0tt, had a whole Super Bowl road map planned out, citing Walker III, Marks and Mike Washington Jr. (Arkansas) as being a key unit to a title run in his scenario.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below and by mentioning us at @Texans_RTB on X and @Texans.Roundtable on TikTok!