The Texans appear to have a lot of depth at running back but they don’t appear to have a running back that can handle a full workload in 2008.  It would appear that Ahman Green would get the first chance to start for the Texans in 2008 but he didn’t appear to have much left in the tank last season before he was injured.  Green played in 6 games (5 starts) for the Texans last season and he carried the ball 70 times for 260 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also caught 14 passes for 123 yards (8.8 avg) last year.  Green might not have much tread left on his tires but he has had a very productive career.  Green has now played in 132 games (96 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 1,941 times for 8,751 yards (4.5 ypc) with 56 TD runs.  He has also caught 364 passes for 2,833 yards (7.8 avg) with 14 TD grabs.

Chris Brown was signed in the off season as a free agent to compete with Green for the starting job at RB.  He also has huge issues with durability as he likes to run upright leaving himself open to the big hit.  That’s not to say that he’s not a talented back because he is, I just doubt he can play a whole 16 game schedule without going down to injury at some point.  Brown played in 12 games (1 start) last season for the Titans and he carried the ball 102 times for 462 yards (4.5 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 19 passes for 128 yards (6.7 avg).  Look for Brown to post solid season totals in 2008 as long as he can stay in one piece.  Brown has now played in 54 games (29 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 643 times for 2,757 yards (4.3 ypc) with 16 TD runs.  He has also caught 74 passes for 667 yards (9.0 avg) with 2 TD grabs.

Darius Walker was a undrafted rookie last season who was a pleasant surprise late in the season for the Texans.  His style appears to fit the offense well and he should push Green and Brown for playing time.  Walker played in 4 games (2 starts) for the Texans last season as a rookie and he carried the ball 58 times for 264 yards (4.6 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 13 passes for 81 yards (6.2 avg).  Look for Walker to improve on those numbers in 2008 with Green and Brown so prone to injury ahead of him on the depth chart.

Chris Taylor did not play last season due to injury but he has flashed potential in limited playing time in the past for the Texans.  He has played in 4 games (0 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 28 times for 123 yards (4.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 40 yards (13.3 avg).  He has the potential to possibly play a bigger role than anyone expects this season for the Texans as long as he can stay healthy.

Rookie Steve Slaton might be on the small side but that didn’t stop him at West Virginia.  The rookie averaged 1,347.3 yards rushing and 16.7 rushing TDs in his 3 years at West Virginia.  He also averaged 21.7 receptions, 268.3 receiving yards and 1.7 TDs receiving per season.  Slaton is a tough guy and if he can take the pounding he could be a nice surprise for the Texans’ offense in 2008.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D+