The Houston Texans saw one of their UDFA signings from this offseason suffer a season-ending injury in practice this week leading up to their Week 4 matchup vs. the Dallas Cowboys.
According to Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle , the Texans have placed running back Noah Whittington on the practice squad injured reserve after he suffered a torn quad in practice this week.
Whittington was one of two UDFA running backs the Texans had added after this offseason's draft as a depth pickup for their backfield.
He's a 5-foot-8, 203-pound back out of Oregon who comes off of a pretty productive college season, where he collected over 900 yards from scrimmage, averaged 6.4 yards per carry, and totaled seven touchdowns en route to clinging onto the Texans' practice squad to kick off the 2026 NFL season.
But now, Whittington will see his rookie season come to an end prematurely, and will also join the Texans' second UDFA running back added from this offseason, Joshua Pitsenberger, who has also been on season-ending injured reserve since cutdown day.
With an injury as severe as a torn quad, there's no doubt that Whittington will be out of the mix for several months, as many other players on the Texans roster have been tasked to do with their own quad injuries.
Across the past 12 months, the Texans have seen two other players on their roster suffer from a torn quad, and have yet to return from those injuries
Veteran safety M.J. Stewart suffered his torn quad back in December of 2025, and has just seen his 21-day practice window opened up as recently as last week . Linebacker E.J. Speed went down with his own torn quad this offseason that's effectively left him sidelined for the entire season.
So you can add Whittington to the list of lengthy quad injury recoveries on the Texans' roster, who could be forced to wait until closer to OTAs or training camp of 2027 before he's able to get back on the field, if his timeline is anywhere close to what Stewart has had to endure.
As the Texans stand heading into Week 4, their running back room has now slimmed down to five players between their active roster and their practice squad. And all but one of them are a part of the active 53-man roster.
David Montgomery and Woody Marks lead the pack as the only ones likely to get snaps on offense, British Brooks has been a fixture on special teams, and just recently this week, the Texans had a reunion with former team captain Dare Ogunbowale , whom they signed off their 53-man roster from the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad.
Aug 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Dare Ogunbowale (32) runs for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texans also have Jawhar Jordan on their practice squad for his third season, who showcased at the end of last season that he's more than capable of being a plug-and-play back in this offense if needed.
So compared to the Texans' outlook at the running back position before Whittington went down with his lengthy injury, not much will change from what was expected heading into Week 4. As it relates to ball-carriers on Houston's offense, expect nothing but Montgomery and Marks to shoulder the load there until further notice.tiuce.
However, at the very least, don't be shocked if the Texans decide to add another running back to their practice squad in the coming days to fill the void that Whittington now leaves, while also bringing aboard a little bit more depth to a position that could benefit one more name.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Texans Rookie RB Lands on Season-Ending IR After Practice Injury .
