With injuries depleting the depth chart, a practice squad call-up delivered a historic 100-yard rushing debut, igniting the Texans' dominant victory.
The Houston Texans’ running back situation was uncertain going into their matchup with the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, with Nick Chubb inactive as he recovers from a rib injury he sustained against the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
With a semi-healthy Woody Marks still dealing with a lingering ankle injury, the only backup would be veteran Dare Ogunbowale, who is also a key part of Houston’s special teams, so his snaps would need to be limited.
Yet, the Texans had a different plan. One that might seem unorthodox but could succeed if the details were worked out during the week of practice.
Houston called up second-year player Jawhar Jordan, who had never played more than preseason snaps, and it paid off as the sixth-round pick of the 2024 draft from the University of Louisville had a career day with 101 yards rushing on 15 carries in the Texans’ 40-20 win over the Cardinals.
He became only the second player in Texans history to rush for 100 yards or more in their NFL debut, after former running back Ben Tate gained 116 yards in his first game in 2011. Jordan’s 100-yard game is also a first for Houston this season.
“Jawhar did an outstanding job for us,” said Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. “For the young man to come in and for his first game to have a debut like he had. Of course, he broke a record [for] most yards by a Texan in a debut game. He ran the ball very well. Efficient.
“He showed the explosiveness and the speed that he has and that we’ve seen in practice, while he’s been on the practice squad for us. It shows, again, whenever your number is called, are you ready for that opportunity? No one knows until you get that moment. It’s about you taking advantage of that moment and not looking back, and I thought Jawhar handled it very well.”
Jordan entered the game early in the first quarter after Marks went down and was treated in the blue medical tent for an ankle injury. Marks returned in the first quarter but went down again and was held out for the rest of the game as a precaution.
The former practice squad player made his presence felt in the third quarter with a 50-yard run, the longest by a Texans player this season and the longest by a Texans player in their NFL debut in franchise history. His run helped set up a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud to tight end Dalton Shultz, increasing the Texans’ lead to 30-7.
“Jawhar is my dawg, somebody who I got to see come in and put in work and been making plays for a long time at practice, in [training] camp, preseason games,” Stroud said about Jordan after the game. “He gets a shot today, and I thought he took full advantage. He’s a brother in Christ, and I know he was relying on the Lord.
“I’m just super proud of him and his ability to make cuts and set up blocks. I thought he did a great job and he’s super fast. I tried to get out there on one of them and block for him, but he’s a little too fast for me. But I thought he did amazing today. I’m super proud of him.”
Jordan’s toughness was on display throughout the game as he gained 80 yards after contact, the second most by a Texans rusher this season, while forcing seven missed tackles, tied for the most among Texans rushers this season, according to Next Gen Stats. On outside runs, the former Louisville Cardinal rushed for 84 yards across eight carries.
“Man, I am blessed,” said Jordan exclusively to Big Sarge Media. “Once I found out I was playing this week, I just knew that I was going to be ready. I knew once my name was called, I was going to be ready to show the world what I can do and I belong in this league.”