Woody Marks' Latest Comments Reveal His Texans Role for 2026

The Houston Texans made a quality upgrade to their running back room earlier this offseason upon the acquisition of veteran David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions in exchange for two day three draft picks and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs.

It was a clear investment from the Texans' brass to double down on their run game after a lackluster year of production in the backfield.

Montgomery offers a steadying, powerful force in the backfield to handle a bulk of the carries every single week, and take this rushing effectiveness, and with it, their overall offensive production, to the next level in 2026.

But the move to land Montgomery inevitably leaves questions in play for second-year runner Woody Marks in 2026, who comes fresh off a solid rookie year where he led the way for Houston in terms of carries and rushing yards, but now projects to slot down to second on the totem pole on their running back depth chart.

So how might Marks factor into the Texans' offense this next season in what's almost certainly bound to be a lesser role?

Based on some recent comments from Marks, per KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, it seems like the Texans have a clear vision to utilize him as a threat in the passing game, based on the work he and second-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley have undergone so far this offseason.

“Nick Caley is doing a great job right now,” Marks said, via Wilson. “Got me doing all types of routes, learning the route tree. Just get outside and just using me as he can so I can be productive.”

Marks to Be Complementary Receiver for Montgomery

It'd be pretty tough to imagine Marks to be completely phased out of the Texans' backfield mix after a productive first season. He logged over 700 rushing yards in his first season, and over 900 all-purpose yards in 2025 after gradually taking a hold of that RB1 role.

But how he impacts the offense is sure to look a bit different from what fans got accustomed to in his rookie season.

Rather than being the bellcow back with a majority of touches, he'll be able to work next to Montgomery, who has a much better frame and physical play style to fill that RB1 spot, while Marks can use his size, speed, and explosiveness to be a more dangerous receiving threat from what he showcased last year.

Jan 4, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) runs with the ball during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

It's a setup that Marks also seems to be a fan of as well. Especially when seeing what Montgomery can do in tandem with another explosive pass-catcher next to him in Jahmyr Gibbs back in Detroit, it cements some confidence that this new duo in Houston can create similar havoc.

“Love him as a back, watched him a couple times, him and Jahmyr Gibbs, see how they complement each other,” Marks said about David Montgomery.

“We reached out to each other already, just time to get to work. Having another back in the backfield is always good. There’s less I can take off of my body and there’s less he can take off his body, and we’re just ready to get to work.”

After a year in which this Texans' rushing attack struggled to consistently propel this offense forward, they now has both a steady pair of legs in Montgomery to efficiently handle upwards of 15-20 carries a game if need be, while Marks can settle into a comfortable role as a change-of-pace back, and one to get a lot more work as a pass-catcher.

Sign up for our free Houston Texans On SI newsletter, and get breaking Texans news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google