Giving Rookie Running Back Woody Marks Some Rest On Sunday Could Be Beneficial To The Texans In The Long Run

Houston Texans rookie running back Woody Marks, listed as questionable, may get an opportunity to rest and give his nagging ankle injury more time to heal on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, with veteran running back Nick Chubb (questionable) expected to return from his one-game absence.

Chubb was sidelined against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 15 with a rib injury he sustained against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Having him back in the lineup will give the Texans’ offense a veteran presence to go along with second-year running back Jawhar Jordan, who had a career day last week with 101 yards rushing in the 40-20 win over the Cardinals.

“I thought he did an outstanding job of taking advantage of the opportunity that was presented to him,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans about Jordan’s performance. “He did a great job of getting over 100-yards rushing, making some explosive runs for us. So, it’s a credit to Jawhar for right now. We’ll go deal with the other issue when we get there. But, for right now, credit to Jawhar.”

Marks left the game multiple times this past Sunday as he tried to push through ankle pain throughout the first quarter. Ryans decided it was best for the team and his rookie running back to rest for the remainder of the game, making way for Jordan to get more carries.

“Woody could have come back in the game,” Ryans said during his postgame press conference. “For where he was… He got his ankle tweaked a little bit there early in the game. For where he was, felt like Jawhar [Jordan] and [RB] Dare [Ogunbowale] were doing a good job, so we wanted to keep rolling with those guys and make sure Woody is good as we continue to go into the week.”

With the Texans hoping to make a third consecutive playoff appearance, they will need Marks to be healthy, especially with a big Week 17 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, which will have huge playoff implications.

Marks, who the Texans drafted in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, has rushed for 584 yards on 167 carries and two touchdowns in 14 games this season. He has started all six games during Houston’s current winning streak.

The Texans cannot look past the Raiders this week, but resting Marks would give them a healthy backfield against the Chargers, barring any injuries to the position group on Sunday.