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AFC South Power Ranking: Colts, Titans, Texans, and Jaguars running backs

By Brady Akins

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 24: Derrick Henry poses for a photo with Leonard Fournette #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars after the game at Nissan Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - NOVEMBER 24: Derrick Henry poses for a photo with Leonard Fournette #27 of the Jacksonville Jaguars after the game at Nissan Stadium on November 24, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Silas Walker/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

4. Houston Texans

Maybe seeing the Texans here at the bottom of the AFC South running back totem pole is a bit of a surprise. If we were to hop in a time machine and head back to 2016, seeing their running back depth chart here at fourth would be borderline slanderous.

The combination of Carlos Hyde’s consistency, Duke Johnson Jr.’s potential, and the high-end numbers of their prize free-agent acquisition David Johnson would have been deadly a few years back, but time has not been kind to either of the Johnson’s.

Between injuries and a diminished role in 2019, David Johnson has not looked fitting of the title of capable starting running back in recent years. Entering 2017 with worlds of expectations, the former Arizona Cardinal’s season was cut short just three quarters into his first game, and the 28-year-old has come short of the player we thought he could be after that 2016 season. Similar to Duke Johnson, who many people thought could have sneaky depth potential and could never live up to it.

The Texans do have Carlos Hyde coming off the first 1,000-yard season of his career still on the roster, but Hyde will be entering his seventh year in a league that can be unforgiving to older running backs. Hyde showed he has enough in the tank with his 2019 performance, but some regression might be coming, and Houston might not have the talent in the backfield to keep up with the rest of the AFC South, despite the big names on their roster.

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