The Houston Texans ' running back will be down a man throughout the next few weeks.
According to KPRC2 's Aaron Wilson, Texans running back British Brooks broke his hand in training camp practice. Brooks underwent surgery to repair the injury and will face an expected recovery timeline of three weeks.
It's a tough break for the Texans' running back room, and especially for Houston 's special teams unit, where Brooks has made a name for himself since first joining the roster.
Brooks is entering his third year with the Texans, having joined the roster back in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina. And might now be facing a significant hurdle in his attempt to move up Houston's running back depth chart heading into next season.
Now a week deep into the Texans' training camp, the team has six running backs on the roster, including Brooks.
Two of those six running backs are undrafted free agents: Noah Whittington and Joshua Pitsenberger. Then, the Texans have David Montgomery , Woody Marks , and Jawhar Jordan as the top three guys on the depth chart.
But the Texans, now without Brooks in the mix for the next several practices, might be on the hunt to bring in another running back to their 90-man roster , particularly as someone who can be an impact player on special teams, and maybe fit a heavier mold like Brooks, who stands 5-foot-11, 235 pounds.
Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back British Brooks (44) celebrates his rushing touchdown against the Carolina Panthers in the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
And with a three-week timeline to return, Brooks will be expected to miss the rest of the Texans' training camp and all three of their upcoming preseason games on the calendar, barring an extremely speedy recovery.
His return, if around that three-week projection, will also arrive just days before Houston is forced to cut the roster down to 53 names , in which Brooks' injury might now change how things inevitably fall for both himself and the running back room as a whole. Is Brooks now on the outside looking in of that roster bubble?
The Texans have already kept an eye out on the free agent market to find a running back to add to their 90-man roster.
Just last week, Houston brought in both Alexander Mattison and Hassan Haskins for a workout, yet didn't come to an agreement on a contract for either.
Maybe the Texans will find an agreement either with Mattison or Haskins in the coming days, if they liked what they saw from them in their reported workouts.
Perhaps they look out for another free agent on the market who fits their needs to try and compete to become the fourth running back that Houston brings onto their Week 1 roster.
But as the Texans are now down to five healthy running backs on their 90-man roster, and two of them being without any NFL experience, it's a group that tends to look a bit slim, and projects to also be without their special teams ace for an extended amount of time.
Of course, we know who will be the ones taking the majority of snaps in the regular season , but having more depth and competition at the position, especially in training camp, can never hurt.
So at the very least, keep an eye on the Texans' running back room over the next few days, as that's a position group on the depth chart that could use another addition as training camp moves onwards.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Texans RB Suffers Hand Injury at Training Camp, Out Multiple Weeks .
