The Houston Texans are riding a three-game winning streak, but they still need to find an answer for their lackluster running game
Despite stellar wins against the Cincinnati Bengals and the New York Jets, teams with top ranked defenses in the AFC, the Houston Texans still lack a viable option at running back.
In the last three games, all which were games won by Houston, the Texans have struggled to run the football in any fashion.
The Texans have employed a running back by committee approach with Alfred Blue usually assuming the starting role, followed by a steady dose of Chris Polk and Jonathan Grimes.
With the Texans’ running backs currently on the roster, they have maintained to rank in the bottom of the league in rushing, currently ranking 29th in the NFL with an average of 90 yards per game.
Since Alfred Blue has been drafted, he has been handed the starting role in place of an injured Arian Foster twice.
Blue has maintained a measly 3.2 yards per carry for his career which explains his 2.8 yards per carry in Sundays win over the New York Jets . Chris Polk has not done any better as he has only averaged 3.3 yards per carry since putting on a Texan uniform.
The answer to the Texans running back situation is out there in the open market. However, it seems disturbing as the Texans settle for the awful crop of halfbacks currently on the roster.
The biggest issue is the fact the Texans do not seem to want to get better at the position. They do not seem to want to bring in players to workout. Houston has appeared to be content with an offense that averages around 3.0 yards per carry from the running back position.
Teams like the Dallas Cowboys this season have continued to week in and week out bring in running backs to find the best player available at the position. Dallas continues to search the streets even after signing Darren McFadden this offseason.
Houston needs to bring in players that will give this offense a chance to really compete. Players that will seize the opportunity. I would like to see Houston bring back Ben Malena, someone who is familiar with the Texans coaching staff. Malena showed some promise during the preseason as he scored on a 22-yard touchdown run to compliment his 5.9 yards per carry against the Texans.
The Texans could also kick the tires on former first round pick Trent Richardson, or maybe former second round pick Christine Michael off the Redskins practice squad. Anything would be better than staying the course with this mediocrity.