The Houston Texans may be in the market for a younger running back.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans have a virtual visit setup with former Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins, which continues a trail of pre-draft interest the Texans have shown in the La Grange product.
Houston is not alone in their interest in the 5-9, 209-pound rusher. The Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Packers have also setup video conferences with the first-team All-American.
Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins has video conferences with several teams, including Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Miami Dolphins, per a league source. He visited Dolphins prior to the NFL shutting down visits
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 15, 2020
The Texans have a 2016 All-Pro in David Johnson, who is expected to get a shot at being the starting running back in 2020. However, Johnson played in 13 games in 2019 and had a diminished role in Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Johnson has a $9 million salary cap hit in 2021, but just a $2.1 million dead cap figure, which could make him a cap casualty if his production drops.
Adding a young running back such as Dobbins would give the Texans options in case things don’t work out with Johnson, or set up the club to have a natural transition from Johnson’s prime to the prime of Dobbins.