Houston Texans sign RB Marlon Mack from the Indianapolis Colts

The Texans have most definitely made a move to address their running game with the signing of the former Colt.

Marlon Mack joins the Houston Texans

According to reports on Friday Indianapolis Colts' running back Marlon Mack will be heading to the Houston Texans and If there is one thing that the Texans will get, its yardage. Mack, a former 1,000-yard rusher for the Colts will join an AFC South rival, having requested a trade prior to the deadline back on November 2nd. Though he played in just six games for the Colts last season, expect the seasoned rusher to grab this new lease on life with both hands as he comes into a team in need of decent running back.

Who is Marlon Mack?

A fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Mack rose to prominence with the Colts back in 2018, when he rushed for 908 yards and nine touchdowns across 12 games. The following season, Mack essentially became the focal point of the Colt's offensive strategy in the wake of the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck in the middle of the preseason. It was a call that he apparently had no problems answering as he rushed for rushed for a career-high 1,091 yards that season to go along with eight rushing touchdowns in 14 games.

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A continued path of success was not meant to be, however, as a torn Achilles tendon would derail his 2020 season in the very first week. Indeed, Mack would not play again that season and would in fact struggle to get back into the team last season as evidenced by the fact that he played in only six games with a total of 101 yards rushing on 28 carries. Mack's struggles were not helped either by the emergence of Jonathan Taylor who ran for almost 1,200 yards as a rookie in that 2020 season, before going on to lead the NFL with 1,811 yards and 18 touchdowns last season. It should be said, however, that despite Taylor's success, the Colts missed out on the playoffs after dropping losing their final two games against the Raiders and Jaguars respectively.

What do the Texans get in Marlon Mack?

As the team that finished last in the NFL in rushing and 30th in scoring there really isn't anywhere for the Texans to go but up. With Mack's arrival there is a clear sign of intent on Houston's part to address a glaringly obvious problem. Mack of course will go from a somewhat crowded backfield in Indianapolis to a significantly emptier one in Houston. Yes, its true that former Patriot Rex Burkhead is the team's current running back, but considering the aforementioned reality of Houston's offensive production, the arrival of a seasoned running back like Mack is a step in the right direction. Having finished the season 4-13 expect Mack and the Texans to come out the blocks firing when the new season starts.