The Houston Texans have been very active this off-season, and they have now reached a deal with Phillip Lindsay on Friday. The Texans and Lindsay agreed to a one-year, $3.25 million contract with $1 million in guaranteed money.
Houston's rushing attack will now consist of David Johnson, Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay. This makes things interesting for the Texans because they now have three running backs that didn't reach 150 carries last season.
But signing Phillip Lindsay hurts one person in Houston. David Johnson restructured his contract to stay with the Houston Texans, after which the Texans went out and signed Mark Ingram and now Phillip Lindsay.
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NFL Free Agency: How does signing Phillip Lindsay impact David Johnson?
At one point this off-season, David Johnson was the only valuable running back in Houston. He now has to share carries with two other running backs that have been more productive over the past few years. David Johnson could potentially be the odd man out when it comes to running the football in 2021.
Let's compare the three running backs that will be sharing carries during the 2021-2022 NFL season.
David Johnson: 499 carries, 1,976 rushing yards, 15 touchdowns
Mark Ingram: 412 carries, 1,962 rushing yards, 18 touchdowns
Phillip Lindsay: 534 carries, 2,550 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns
When looking at the last three seasons, Phillip Lindsay produced more carries, rushing yards, and touchdowns than David Johnson. Mark Ingram has produced more rushing touchdowns than both Lindsay and Johnson. Phillip Lindsay is the youngest of the three running backs at 26-years old.
Where the problem comes in for David Johnson is Phillip Lindsay is young and hasn't reached his ceiling. Mark Ingram is a bruiser that can get the football in the end zone. Both Ingram and Lindsay will consume the majority of the carries next season.
However, David Johnson would probably give the situation a chance before asking to be traded. Johnson needs to see how David Culley plans on utilizing all three running backs. If David Johnson feels underutilized, he could ask for a trade during the 2021-2022 NFL season.
No one can blame Johnson for requesting a trade if he gives the situation a chance. It's just hard to believe that David Johnson will receive the bulk of the carries is 2021.
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