#Maryland RB Anthony McFarland says he has a formal scheduled with the #Texans today.
— Mark Lane (@therealmarklane) February 26, 2020
INDIANAPOLIS — The Houston Texans are performing their due diligence when it comes to upgrading the running back stable.
The Texans will formally meet with Maryland running back A.J. McFarland on Thursday.
Unlike informal meetings, which usually have the position coach and aren’t limited, there are 45 formal meetings per team. The meetings are 18 minutes long, and they usually include more members of the club, not just the position coach. In other words, it is a group interview.
McFarland could have some skills that would fit the Texans’ offense.
“I feel like route running is important to me,” McFarland said. “The game is different now. There’s a lot of running backs now that catch out of the backfield, guys like McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara. They’re kind of changing the game, making it out like how it used to be for running backs.”
McFarland caught 17 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown in his 11 games for Terrapins. On the ground, the 5-9, 198-pound running back carried 114 times for 614 yards and eight touchdowns.
According to McFarland, whatever team takes him isn’t just going to get a running back that can catch passes out of the backfield. They are also going to get a back that has underrated power.
Said McFarland: “I feel like everybody just sees me as a speed guy, but people don’t really know that I’m a tough runner. I’m tough between the tackles. I feel like I’m versatile. I can line up in the slot and do a lot of things. People never really saw me do it in college but I feel like that’s why it’s an underrated thing I have in my game.”
The Texans have their top two running backs in Lamar Miller and Carlos Hyde out of contract, set to hit the free agent market on March 18. Duke Johnson, who is primarily the offense’s pass-catching back, is under contract. If the Texans added McFarland, he would have to emphasize his ground skills or play special teams like Taiwan Jones.