Tag: Marlon Mack

Texans RB Marlon Mack says Dameon Pierce brings ‘college energy’

Houston Texans running back Marlon Mack says that rookie Dameon Pierce brings “college energy” to the running back room.

Marlon Mack has been in the NFL since 2017, and knows what it is like when rookies enter an organization.

For Mack, he is on a new team in the Houston Texans, but there are still telltale signs of when a youngster joins an NFL team, and fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce has been exhibiting those traits throughout organized team activities.

“You know young guys, man,” Mack told reporters Tuesday at OTAs at Houston Methodist Training Center. “Young guy, bring that college energy, fresh, don’t know what to expect. But he’s a young guy, he’s learning, energetic, happy.”

The Texans picked Pierce with the 107th overall pick in Round 4 of the 2022 NFL draft. The 5-10, 215-pounder from Florida was not heavily utilized in his final season with the Gators. However, Pierce’s 5.7 yards per carry and 13 rushing touchdowns suggest that he has the capability to develop as a feature back.

For now, Pierce, has been bringing positive energy inside NRG Stadium.

Said Mack: “Smile on the face every day, and that’s one thing you need in your room and you’re always going to enjoy.”

The Texans signed Mack in free agency after he spent the past five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

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Texans coach Lovie Smith says RB Marlon Mack has ‘fit in well with our group’

Houston Texan coach Lovie Smith says that former Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack has melded well with the stable of backs.

The Houston Texans are committed to fixing the run game.

Whether it is hiring a new offensive line coach in George Warhop, signing a starting guard in A.J. Cann, drafting another in first-rounder Kenyon Green, acquiring fourth-round running back Dameon Pierce, or giving former Indianapolis Colts runner Marlon Mack a change of scenery, the Texans are trying a bevy of solutions to improve their ground attack.

According to coach Lovie Smith, who met with reporters on Wednesday following organized team activities at Houston Methodist Training Center, Mack is doing well to blend in with the rest of the offense.

“Sometimes you need a change, change of scenery, a new team,” Smith said. “I know he’s fit in well with our group. We feel like we have a plan for him and we like the running back position, not just him.”

Mack played 47 games for the Colts from 2017-21, starting in 23 of them, and tallying 567 carries for 2,484 yards and 20 touchdowns. An Achilles injury in Week 1 of 2020 summarily ushered in the Jonathan Taylor era in Indianapolis, and the former 2017 fourth-round pick from South Florida found himself in a complementary role to Taylor.

Mack played in six games in 2021, collecting 28 carries for 101 yards.

Although the 26-year-old has hit the nadir of his career, Smith believes that they can help him revitalize his career.

“When we look at players, some people are like, let me see the bad plays,” said Smith. “I like to see the good plays. When we are coaching up a guy, let’s see his best and Marlon has been a productive player in the league and we look at his best years he’s had.”

The Texans have not had a ball carrier crest the 1,000-yard mark since 2019 when Carlos Hyde generated 1,070. Hyde was similarly a reclamation project as he was 29 years old and on his fourth team by the time he arrived in Houston during the final stages of preseason.

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Texans’ Triplets ranked No. 29 in latest CBS Sports list

The Houston Texans’ QB-RB-WR trio of Davis Mills, Marlon Mack, and Brandin Cooks was ranked as No. 29 overall according to CBS Sports.

The Houston Texans’ Triplets aren’t going to scare many teams in 2022.

According to Jared Dubin from CBS Sports, the Texans’ trio ranked No. 29 overall, the last of the “it’s ugly” tier before the “not awful, but not great” tier at No. 28 starting with the New York Giants.

QB: Davis Mills RB: Marlon Mack WR: Brandin Cooks

Mills looked dreadful in his first stretch as a starter last year, but showed great progress during his second stint. We don’t yet know if he has the talent to be a long-term starter, but he earned a shot to prove he can do it. Mack was usurped in Indy by Jonathan Taylor but has shown he can run efficiently — if he gets good blocking. He likely won’t have it in Houston. Cooks is one of the league’s most underrated receivers, a guy who just keeps producing 1,000-yard seasons despite dealing with a host of injuries.

The highest ranking the Texans achieved was 18 and the lowest was 32. The Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, and Chicago Bears had worse trios than the Texans.

What may help the Texans throughout the season is if they are able to get the run game going, whether that is due to Mack having a revitalized season or Dameon Pierce taking the reins. It seems more likely that the fourth-round rookie from Florida may develop as the Texans’ feature back by the end of the year. If Mills is able to steadily progress, and Cooks is able to stay consistent, the Texans’ offense may have three pieces that move the football and score points.

Across the rest of the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars were No. 23 with the tandem of Trevor Lawrence, James Robinson, and Christian Kirk. The Tennessee Titans were No. 19 in the “more questions than answers” category. The Indianapolis Colts were No. 15 in the “pretty good” category, which was continued in another list.

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NFL.com cites RB Marlon Mack as the Texans’ most under appreciated player

Cynthia Frelund from NFL.com makes the case that the Houston Texans’ most under appreciated player is free agent RB Marlon Mack.

Who would have thought the most under appreciated player on the Houston Texans would be Marlon Mack, a former Indianapolis Colts running back?

So says Cynthia Frelund from NFL.com, who compiled a list of each under appreciated player across the AFC. Frelund’s calculations are based on whether the player was drafted in the second round or later and their contract with the team. Frelund admits she likes to use players on existing teams, but the flurry of free agent moves made it difficult, which is why Mack, who has never played a snap for Houston, ends up as their most under appreciated player.

APY: $2 million (tied for 36th among running backs).

OK, so, it’s not ideal, for the purposes of this list, that Mack has played in just seven games over the past two seasons, and for a different team, at that — but my models love this fit and the upside. The last time Mack had a full season’s worth of workload, in 2019, he ran for 1,091 yards, the 10th most among running backs in the NFL that season. Computer vision shows that the ex-Colt’s change-of-direction speed ranked seventh-highest in the NFL that season. NGS [Next Gen Stats] shows he exceeded 15 miles per hour on 51 runs in 2019, which ranked fourth among RBs.

That Mack’s under appreciation is based on work from 2019 before he tore his Achilles is inauspicious as to his effectiveness with the Texans in 2022. Jonathan Taylor took the reins from Mack after his injury early in 2020 and never looked back.

The Texans and Mack do make for a good situation for one another. Houston has an insurance policy in fourth-rounder Dameon Pierce should Mack not work out. Mack similarly won’t be expected to be the feature back in the Texans’ offense, which is also run heavy, which means Mack will have chances to make his case he can still be a bell cow.

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Texans special teams coach Frank Ross ‘excited’ to reunite with RB Marlon Mack in Houston

Houston Texans special teams coach Frank Ross worked with RB Marlon Mack with the Indianapolis Colts, and is enthused to be working with him again.

Frank Ross is familiar with Marlon Mack.

The former Indianapolis Colts assistant special teams coordinator was on the same team with Mack from 2018-20. Ross saw the former 2017 fourth-round running back from South Florida tally 446 carries for 2,025 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns through 27 games, 23 of which he started. During that span, Mack also produced his career year in 2019 of 247 carries for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns.

Ross knows what Mack will bring to the locker room.

“Marlon is a very consistent person, quiet guy, reserved, he’s a good locker room player,” Ross told reporters on April 12. “I think this guy’s ready to prove himself at any point. If you ask him to work as a kick returner, he will be willing to do that. I’m excited to see him for the first time again and work with Marlon again.”

However, just because Mack does have some familiarity with a coach on the staff doesn’t mean that he is guaranteed a spot on the roster.

Said Ross: “Anybody that joins our roster, come here, prove it every single day. No different than when I walk into my office. I’ve got to prove my worth that day to everybody, and whether it’s special teams, offense or defense, hopefully that’ll make our Texans football team better moving forward.”

Mack is still proving his worth after tearing his Achilles tendon in the first game of the 2020 season. Mack’s injury opened the door for second-round rookie Jonathan Taylor to take the carries and ultimately the feature back role in Indianapolis’ offense. In 2021, Mack carried 28 times for 101 yards through six games.

Report: Texans signing former Colts running back Marlon Mack

The Houston Texans are signing former Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack to provide depth in the RB room.

The Houston Texans are going with a tried and true formula in the Nick Caserio era of adding a former 1,000-yard running back to the roster.

According to Aaron Wilson from the Pro Football Network, the Texans are signing former Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack to the roster. Mack had previously worked out with the Texans throughout the course of free agency.

Mack was supplanted as the Colts’ feature back in 2020 due to injury. In Week 1, the former 2017 fourth-round pick from South Florida sustained a torn Achilles that knocked out for the season. Second-round running back Jonathan Taylor took over and has never looked back. Mack did return to the Colts in 2021 with 28 carries for 101 yards over the course of six games.

The 6-0, 210-pound running back’s most productive season was in 2019 when he carried 247 times for 1,091 yards and eight touchdowns through 14 games, 12 of which he started.

The Texans already have Dare Ogunbowale, Darius Anderson, Scottie Phillips, Royce Freeman, and Rex Burkhead on the roster along with fullbacks Andy Janovich and Paul Quessenberry.

Colts free agent RB Marlon Mack to sign with Texans

Former Colts RB Marlon Mack is expected to sign with the Texans.

Former Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack is expected to sign with the Houston Texans, first reported by Sarah Barshop of ESPN.

With Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines entrenched in the backfield, it was no surprise that Mack hit free agency. After proving he could come back from the torn Achilles he suffered in 2020, Mack held a reserve role in the Colts backfield.

Mack visited the Texans last week and now will be competing for a starting role for the division rivals.

Mack was drafted by the Colts in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft and wound up becoming the starter in the backfield during the 2018 season. He rushed for 1,091 yards and eight rushing touchdowns during the 2019 season.

When the Colts drafted the aforementioned Taylor in the second round of the 2020 draft, Mack figured to be fighting for his starting role. When he suffered a torn Achilles during the season opener, it essentially sealed his future with the team.

Mack re-signed with the Colts during the 2021 season but the emergence of Taylor as the league’s best running back forced Mack into a non-essential role.

The Colts’ backfield is one of their strongest positions while Mack should get a good shot at competing for a starting role.

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Colts free agent RB Marlon Mack visited Texans

Marlon Mack visited the Texans on Tuesday.

Indianapolis Colts free agent running back Marlon Mack visited the Houston Texans on Tuesday, per the league’s transaction wire.

With Mack unlikely to return to the Colts after spending most of the second half of the 2021 season as a healthy scratch, the division-rival Texans are expected to have interest given their vacancy at the position.

A fourth-round pick with the Colts in 2017, Mack held a complementary role behind Frank Gore during his rookie season. He then became the starter in the backfield for two seasons (2018-2019) before the Colts drafted Jonathan Taylor in 2020.

Mack suffered a torn Achilles during Week 1 of the 2020 season paving the way for Taylor to lead all rookies in rushing yards.

The Colts still re-signed Mack during the 2021 offseason to a one-year deal. Mack requested a trade early in the season after he was a healthy scratch but never got a deal to move to a different team.

We’ll see if the market heats up for Mack, but the Texans would be a decent spot for him if he’s looking for a place to reclaim a starting role.

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Texans work out RB Marlon Mack

The Houston Texans worked out former Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack.

The Houston Texans may not be done adding veterans to their roster via free agency.

The Texans worked out former Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack per source.

The former 2017 fourth-round pick from South Florida saw his role with the Colts decrease after a torn Achilles in Week 1 of the 2020 season. Along with Mack’s injury, the Colts started to benefit from running back Jonathan Taylor, who has generated 2,980 rushing yards over the past two seasons, including 1,811 in 2021, earning him the NFL rushing title.

Prior to Mack’s injury and Taylor taking his spot, the 6-0, 210-pound running back posted a 1,000-yard season in 2019 and came close in 2018 with 908 yards. In 2021, Mack carried 28 times for 101 yards.

The Texans’ running game in 2021 saw just one rusher go over 100 yards in a game with Rex Burkhead in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers in a 41-29 win. The Texans had the fewest rushing yards in the NFL last year with 1,422.

Mack produced 148 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries in the 2018 AFC wild-card against the Texans, which the Colts won 21-7 at NRG Stadium. The rushing total was the second-most of Mack’s 49-game career.

Looking at Chiefs’ potential free agent options at running back

Our @Nicolas_Roesch takes a look at some pending free agent running backs that the #Chiefs could be interested in.

The Kansas City Chiefs currently have just two running backs under contract: 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire and reserve/future signing Brenden Knox.

Knox spent the preseason with the Dallas Cowboys but wasn’t on a team during the regular season. He signed a reserve/future contract with K.C. back in January after multiple workouts in the regular season. As for Edwards-Helaire, his first two NFL seasons have been injury-riddled and his performances have been inconsistent.

Regardless of how the running back room ends up looking like for the Chiefs in 2022, Edwards-Helaire will likely play a key role. Let’s take a look at some free agent options who could help him and provide some depth at the position.