Texans to sign veteran RB Marlon Mack

After meeting with the team last week, Marlon Mack is set to join the Texans. Houston is signing the veteran tailback, per ESPN’s Sarah Barshop. 

Mack, 26, was a fourth-round pick of the Colts in 2017. While he didn’t start any of the 14 games he played in during his rookie season, he totaled 583 scrimmage yards, setting him up for much larger workloads in the two years to follow. Between 2018 and 2019, Mack received 442 carries, posting 1,999 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns.

His tenure in Indianapolis went downhill from there, however. After just one game, his 2020 season was ended by a torn Achilles. That — coupled with the emergence of second-round rookie Jonathan Taylor — led many to feel he would be seeking a new home in free agency. However, he stayed put, signing a one-year deal to try and prove he had recovered from the injury.

That plan didn’t come to fruition, however. The South Florida alum played in only six games, rushing for 101 yards. Again, many felt he would be on the move — this time via a trade — but he didn’t generate much of a market for an in-season move. Not surprisingly, the Colts are now moving forward with Taylor as one of the league’s preeminent workhouse backs.

In Houston, Mack will remain in the AFC South while joining a Texans team that should provide him with plenty of touches. After spending most of the season with the likes of David Johnson and Mark Ingram in 2021, those two veterans have hit free agency and been traded, respectively. Alongside Rex Burkhead, Mack should be in line to command a healthy workload on the rebuilding squad.