The 10 best running backs in Houston Texans history

The running back position has seen a change in recent years. Once viewed as the premier position for any team that was serious about winning, the emphasis has been downplayed some — though not as much as others would like to believe.

Yes, gone are the days in which a running back would routinely get 25 to 35 carries a game, but a super-talented back still has value if he's versatile. Yes, the likes of Jerome Bettis may not work in the NFL anymore, but guys who can carry the ball are still just as useful as ever. Just as long as they can catch a pass.

Dual-threat running backs used to be rare occurrences, but now they're the goal for the position. And it's a position the Houston Texans have not had great success with.

They have had all sorts of types, from your prototypical power-type running backs to your bell-cow superstars to your new modern-day dual-threat types. While Texans history isn't littered with all-time greats at the position like other teams, the top of the top here could hold a candle to some of the very best. At least for a time.

Criteria for Selection

To determine the best running backs in Texans history, we're looking at running back-centric stats like rushing yards and attempts, yards per carry, touchdowns, and the like. We're also interested in running back-adjacent stats such as receiving yards and touchdowns and, if applicable, return numbers.

If a player's rushing stats stand out on their own, that'll be enough. But if we're trying to sift through some guys who have similar numbers, and whose levels of significance to the franchise are pretty similar, then we'll look beyond just those numbers to receiving stats and all-purpose yards.

Of course, we'll also be looking at Pro Bowl selections, All-Pro nods, and other individual awards.

The top 10 running backs

10. Jonathan Wells

Few Texans running backs have been as disappointing as Jonathan Wells, the fourth-round pick out of Ohio State. The thundering running back never found that next level of production and struggled to break 500 yards in a season.

Despite the fact he never topped the 529 rushing yards he posted as a rookie, he does have 1,167 total rushing yards, good enough for 11th in franchise history. He also lands eighth with 1,647 yards from scrimmage.

9. Vonta Leach

It may seem odd that a man with two touchdowns during his Houston Texans tenure makes the list, but Vonta Leach was once seen as one of the best fullbacks in the game. He had a five-season run with the team, leading the way for Arian Foster in 2010, when he earned his first Pro Bowl nod. He also made the All-Pro team in his final year with the Texans.

Veach was one of the best pure blockers in the league, and his teammates benefited from it. Among all backs, he's eighth in career receiving yards with 518. Not too shabby for a fullback.

8. David Johnson

It may not feel great to see David Johnson on the list, considering how he joined the organization, but he did put up some solid stats in his two seasons. He ranks 13th in club history with 919 rushing yards, and he's seventh in receiving yards for a running back with 539. Among all Texans running backs, he is 10th in total yards with 1,458.

Coupled with his nine touchdowns and Houston's shallow history of stellar running backs, you can see why Johnson is ranked so high.

7. Dameon Pierce

Had it not been for a bad Year 2, Dameon Pierce would be a bit higher.

Already seventh all-time among Texans running backs with 1,846 total yards, Pierce has ample opportunity to climb the rankings. He's also ninth in club history with 1,355 rushing yards, knocking former quarterback David Carr down a notch. While he hasn't instilled a lot of faith after his 2023 campaign, fans remain hopeful that Pierce can take the next step in his development and further climb the rankings.

6. Ben Tate

Ben Tate had a fantastic rookie year for the Houston Texans in 2011, recording 942 rushing yards and four touchdowns, but he never repeated that success in his three total seasons with the team.

He still ranks fifth in club history with 1,992 career rushing yards, and he's sixth among running backs in all-purpose yards. He also cracks the top 10 in rushing touchdowns, albeit with just 10.

That rookie season was one of hope and optimism, and it's a big reason why he makes the list.

5. Ron Dayne

Getting a former Heisman Winner like Ron Dayne was not the major win for the team that it might have seemed. Coming off of a poor showing with the Denver Broncos, he wasn't even seen as a big signing.

Yet splitting time with Wali Lundy, Dayne had a return to form in 2006, rushing for 612 yards and five touchdowns. Both stats led the team. In his second season, he did even better, rushing for 773 yards and six touchdowns while splitting time with Ahman Green and Darius Walker. He's eighth in club history with 1,385 rushing yards and sixth in touchdowns with 11.

4. Steve Slaton

Following in the footsteps of one-year-wonders, Steve Slaton came in as a rookie during the 2008 campaign, replacing Ron Dayne in the lineup. The third-round pick out of West Virginia put up 1,282 yards in his debut season. He's the only player in club history other than Arian Foster to still be in the top five for rushing yards in a single campaign.

Slaton is sixth in career rushing yards, fifth in career rushing touchdowns and fourth in career all-purpose yards for the franchise. He had 377 receiving yards in 2008 and 417 receiving yards in 2009 with an additional five touchdowns.

Had he been more consistent and healthy, Slaton could've set a lot of records that would still stand today.

3. Lamar Miller

We've finally got to the top of the proverbial mountain when it comes to Houston Texans running backs, starting with Lamar Miller. From 2016 to 2018, Miller provided three great seasons for the Texans. He never rushed for less than 888 yards and was routinely clipping at a 4.0 or higher yard per carry. He's still third in Texans history with rushing yards for the club, at 2,934, and third in rushing touchdowns among all running backs (fourth all-time counting quarterbacks).

Always a solid pass-catcher, He put up 678 receiving yards in three seasons, which puts him third-in franchise history in all-purpose yards for a running back. He would end up making a Pro Bowl in 2018 with Houston but sadly he'd tear his ACL in a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys and would never return to form.

2. Domanick Williams

Whether you called him Domanick Davis or Domanick Williams, you know you were talking about one of the best running backs in the game for a short while.

Williams became the first player in Houston Texans history to break the 1,000-yard mark, racking up 1,031 yards in just the second year of the club's existence. As a rookie, he not only set the all-important mark, but he also tacked on eight rushing touchdowns. He also showed off his versatility, catching 47 passes for 351 yards. His second year was even better with 1,188 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 588 receiving yards, and one touchdown through the air.

He looked like an all-timer in the making ,but a knee injury in 2005 ruined both his season and his career. He stalled out in his final year at 976 rushing yards in just 11 games. He was on pace to have his best season ever yardage-wise, but his knee injury shut things down.

Still, he's second in club history with 3,195 rushing yards, 23 touchdowns, and 4,585 all-purpose yards.

1. Arian Foster

It was always going to be Arian Foster.

When it comes to the Houston Texans, he's the top guy in just about every category. First in rushing yards with 6,472. First in rushing touchdowns with 54. First in games played with 76. First in attempts with 1,454. The only player in Texans history to break 1,000 carries. First in receiving yards for all Houston running backs with 2,268, as well as first in receiving touchdowns with 14.

Shocking nobody, he is also first in club history with 8,741 all-purpose yards. Combine that with his 68 total touchdowns and you can see why Foster easily takes the cake as the top guy. He's the only Texans running back to have four 1,000-yard rushing seasons, which also rank as four of the five most impressive rushing seasons in club history. His single-season bests of 1,616 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns are still the top marks for any Texans running back.

He also was able to rack up four Pro Bowl appearances and one All-Pro selection. That makes him the first running back in Texans history to hit either mark, and he has three more Pro Bowl nods than anyone else. (He technically shares the honor of being the first Texans Pro Bowl back with Vonta Leach, though Leach went to the Pro Bowl as a fullback.)

Regardless of position, Foster is tied for sixth in club history with four Pro Bowls, sharing the honor with Duane Brown, Laremy Tunsil, and DeAndre Hopkins.