Unless you were grinding a whole lot of ACC football during the 2022 and 2023 seasons, your first real introduction to Jawhar Jordan was likely during the Houston Texans' 40-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals this past Sunday, a game in which Jordan, making his NFL debut, rushed for 101 yards on 15 carries in relief of an injured Woody Marks.
Jordan picked up half of those yards on one single attempt, scampering 50 yards on a 3rd quarter carry that looked like it was bound for paydirt before Cardinals defensive back Garrett Williams corralled him down at the 16 yard line. After the win, when accepting a game ball for his efforts, Jordan explained what may have prevented him from going the extra 16 yards.
"Aw, man. My eyes got big. I'd just seen daylight. And I was running as fast as I could. I got a little tired. It's hard not playing with full pads for a while. Then you're coming out here for the first time in full pads. It's a different feeling," Jordan explained.
Again, it's worth mentioning that Jordan, making his NFL regular season debut, hadn't played a snap of meaningful football -- with all due respect to the preseason -- since December 2nd, 2023, during an ACC Championship Game loss to the Florida State Seminoles. It stands to reason that Jordan's legs would be a little bit heavier than normal, carrying not only the weight of full pads, but also the weight of for at least a half being the bell-cow back for the Houston Texans.
But despite the pads weighing him down, Jawhar Jordan still made history, becoming the first Texan to rush for over 100 yards in his NFL debut since Ben Tate rushed for 102 yards in his first career game 14 years ago. It's a performance that perhaps complicates the calculus of Houston's rushing attack moving forward, and one that will force his Texans teammates to learn who he is.
“I don’t know where we came from, but obviously, he’s run wide zone before," veteran right tackle Trent Brown said after the game.
Kamari Lassiter, on the other hand, knew all about Jawhar Jordan thanks to their time as pre-draft workout partners.
“I already knew him before we got drafted, just watching him train, he was explosive as hell,” Lassiter told Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston. “Watching his film in college, he was taking kickoffs back, breaking runs. I already knew. Whenever he got to moving and grooving out there, I’m like: ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah.’”
With Woody Marks' injury not too serious, and Nick Chubb expected back soon as well, Jordan's place in the Texans backfield hierarchy is still something of a mystery. But if/when his number gets called upon again, he'll be ready.
“It’s my turn," Jordan said confidently. "On the practice squad, you got to wait your turn. I think it’s just a blessing that I got this opportunity. It’s surreal.”