Houston Texans free agent profile: Royce Freeman

Should Royce Freeman get another shot with the Houston Texans?

When Royce Freeman came over midseason from the Carolina Panthers, it wasn’t clear as to what his role with the Houston Texans was going to be. Freeman joined a team that was getting ready to ship off Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay as they slowly eradicated their “run first” offense which carried a fleet of five running backs on the roster.

Freeman rushed 35 times for 92 yards and no rushing touchdowns. He also added seven catches for 62 yards. Whether Freeman was set to be a third-down back or one player that just couldn’t break the depth chart, Freeman has a long shot at returning to the Houston Texans in 2022.

In reality, all of the Houston running backs should be exchanged (yes, that does include Scottie Phillips) as they led the league’s worst rushing attack. With 1,422 yards on the season, the running back group was ineffective. It’s not solely their fault, as the offensive line struggled, and Tim Kelly had no idea what he was doing for 13 games.

The Houston Texans should not retain Royce Freeman.

It’s tough to make a roster when you join a team seven games into a season, and everything has gone seriously wrong. The Texans were in the midst of what would be an eight-game losing streak.

Freeman could go to any other team and be a more serviceable third-down back to catch passes out of the backfield. However, free agents like Leonard Fournette and draft prospects like Kenneth Walker III are upgrades over Freeman’s talents.

It will probably be for the veteran minimum on a “prove it” sort of deal if he is brought back. The draft will really tell us the Texans’ plans at running back as the offense gets a makeover.