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Noah Whittington of the Oregon Ducks speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Draft Combine.

The Houston Texans, like most teams, got right to work on signing rookie free agents after the 2026 draft, and former Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington is certainly among the more intriguing additions.

Whittington is an older prospect, and he has some noteworthy questions about his game.

Still, the compactly-built (5-foot-8 and 208 pounds) runner could prove himself worthy of a roster spot this coming season.

Texans Get Good Value on ‘Steady’ RB Noah Whittington

The Texans are getting Whittington at a bit of a discount, with NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein projecting him as a sixth or seventh-round draft pick in this draft class.

“Sixth-year senior with three seasons of steady play and production for the Ducks. Whittington is a downhill runner who plays behind his pads and takes care of the football along the interior. He lacks speed to widen the field and fluidity to create for himself when there is no clear point of entry. He’s tough and relatively decisive, with a knack for falling forward and adding yards through physicality,” Zierlein wrote.

“Age and lack of true third-down value might work against him in his pursuit of a roster spot.”

Whittington is already 24, but he did finish his collegiate career with 2,950 yards and 21 touchdowns on 523 carries between stints at Western Kentucky (2020 and 2021) and Oregon (2022 through 2025). He also had 544 yards and 4 TD on 90 receptions.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Whittington (who had a 613-3,494-25 line from scrimmage) as RB14 in the 2026 class, too, also giving him a sixth or seventh-round projection.

“Whittington is a compact, muscular runner with vision and burst through the hole and toughness as a finisher and blocker,” Brugler wrote of the new Texans runner in his “The Beast” draft guide. “Given the questions about his size and durability, he projects as a rotational back in an NFL backfield.”

Notably, The Ringer’s Todd McShay also ranked Whittington RB14, but also 203rd overall.

Texans RB Room Revamp Continues

Whittington is the second addition the Texans have made at running back this offseason, following their trade for David Montgomery. They join incumbent recent draft picks Jawhar Jordan and Woody Marks.

Jordan and Marks combined for a 239-896-2 line as part of a Texans committee that ranked 22nd on the ground during the regular season.

Houston also had veteran Pro Bowler Nick Chubb (122-506-3), but he is a free agent.

The Texans’ season began on a sour note when intended starter Joe Mixon missed the offseason program due to a foot injury and never progressed enough to return to the practice field. The Texans cut Mixon this offseason at his request.

Texans general manager Nick Caserio was open about wanting to add more bodies to the RB room, and Whittington just furthers those efforts.

The Texans have also remade their offensive line for the second straight offseason.

There has been a concerted effort to get their running game back on track in a variety of ways, from direct additions to the group to what the Texans hope are upgrades at key positions around them.