‘I can play in this league .. staying laser-focused,’ Texans rookie Woody Marks looks to build on breakout performance

HOUSTON – Woody Marks is locked in with his eye on the prize.

That doesn’t necessarily mean a starting job for the Texans’ versatile, emerging rookie running back.

Following a breakthrough performance against the Tennessee Titans, Marks’ role figures to increase Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and going forward. A two-touchdown game and how he delivered a crushing block in pass protection tends to change the calculus a bit, even if four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb remains the starter at this time.

For Marks, though, it’s simply about the next carry, the next catch and the next block. He’s concentrating on the task at hand.

“Just staying laser focused, no matter what the outcome was last week,” Marks said. “Last week was last week. I’m happy. Just got to go out and get to work. I’m proud of the game, we got the win."

In the Titans game, Marks piled up 119 yards of total offense, 69 yards on the ground and 50 more yards out of the backfield as a dangerous threat in the passing game. He ran for one touchdown in the fourth quarter and caught another. His competition at practice against the NFL’s top-ranked defense has prepared him for these moments.

“I kind of got into my groove,” Marks said. “Every day, I kinda felt like I was getting better at something. Just me feeling myself, actually going into college, it was the same way.

“Just going against that defense, I felt like I’m well prepared. I can play in this league, because there’s some great guys on that side. They’re a tough defense."

The Texans are 1-3 for the season. They’ve never won a game in Baltimore.

Marks is accustomed to road woes. He won one road game at USC and that was across town is Los Angeles against UCLA.

“Me personally, I’m approaching it; I just want to come home for the win,” Marks said. “Haven’t won a road game in a year coming from college. So, I just want to get the feeling of coming back home, on the plane, winning the game.”

The Texans rushed for a season-high 129 yards against the Titans as Chubb gained 47 yards on 13 carries.

Marks, though, was the centerpiece of the running game.

“Two different styles,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I think Woody’s a shifty back, more speed. Getting on the edge just presents some different problems.

“Chubb, just consistent power, pressing forward, making plays and making really tough, physical runs. So it’s two different guys, two different styles. I think they complement each other well.”

In the season-opening game against the Los Angeles Rams, Chubb had a limited workload with just seven offensive snaps.

With former Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon on the non-football injury list and not expected back this season, barring an unexpected medical development, Marks could become the Texans’ top running back now and in the future.

The fourth-round draft pick can make an impact for the Texans. Especially against an injury-depleted Ravens defense that ranks 27th in the NFL against the run, allowing 141.3 yards on the ground per contest.

Marks has the skills, and the Texans’ coaches are intrigued with his potential.

“It’s a lot of exciting plays,” Ryans said. “A lot of big plays for us that we’re excited to see how much more he can handle.

“Every game is different. Whatever touches Woody gets, he’s continuing to make the most of them. Whoever touches the football, just make the most of what carries you get.”

The way Marks stoned the Titans in pass protection earned him a lot of respect inside the Texans’ locker room.

“We kind of had a thing in college: ‘No blocking, no rocking,’” Marks said. “So, you’re not blocking, you ain’t getting that rock. So, you got to block so you can stay on the field.”

Marks’ low-key, humble personality is growing on his teammates. His Atlanta style has taken notice by the Texans, including quarterback C.J. Stroud.

“He’s super Atlanta,” Stroud said. “If you can put somebody in a bucket of what Atlanta looks like, I’d say it’d be Woody. That was the first thing, because I have a lot of friends from Georgia, from the Atlanta area, and he’s super that way. He’s just quiet, to himself, but plays really good ball.”

What does being Atlanta entail?

“I’d say probably how I dress,” Marks said. “Atlanta guys kind of dress, you got the hat, they always wear jeans, or they got some basketball shorts on with a shirt, some slides on."

Marks believes his versatility has helped him succeed early in his NFL career.

“Catching the ball out of the backfield, making the defense kind of don’t know what you’re gonna do,” he said. “He can run it in between the tackles, outside, he can catch the ball out of the backfield. I think that’s a big plus for the offense.”

Whether it’s running or passing, Marks can make an impact.

“He’s just a playmaker and you get playmakers the ball,” Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins said. “We know what type of guy Woody is and that he can make plays in the biggest moments and you seen what he did. We all seen it.”

Stroud said he enjoyed watching Marks play in college and that they utilized him in a similar way Sunday.

“I thought he was really elusive, really crafty, I thought he did a good job since those days in the Lincoln Riley offense,” Stroud said. “Today we kind of used him in that light, spread him out, give him some familiarity running the ball on some plays that he’s ran before, and he’s very dynamic pass catcher.”

Most of all, though, Marks served notice just how valuable he is to a stagnant Texans offense that he breathed life into in the fourth quarter of a 26-0 victory Sunday at NRG Stadium.

It was Marks who scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, one on a run and another on a catch for the first scores of his NFL career.

“I’m making the defense kind of don’t know what you’re gonna do,” Marks said of his trademark versatility. “He can run it in between the tackles, outside, catch the ball out the backfield. I think that’s a big plus for the offense.”

After the game, Marks had the football he scored with in his locker for safekeeping to immortalize the moment. He also received a game ball from coachRyans for his efforts.

He certainly looked like the Texans’ new RB1 regardless of his status as a backup behind Chubb.

“Woody’s done a really good job since he’s been here,” Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. “He’s a good runner of the football. He’s got good vision. He’s got good explosive traits. He can catch the football naturally. Obviously, you see what he does in blitz pickup. Somebody asked me the question in this group a couple weeks ago, ‘How’s his blitz pickup?’

“I think he’s put it on tape that he’s a violent protector and can get underneath people and knows where to go. So, I’ve been very pleased with his development. It’s been steady since he’s been here, and we’ll just continue to keep it on that trajectory.”

Although Marks’ workload had been limited in the first three games of the season -- all losses -- he got much more involved against the Titans.

This is a prime example of what Marks is capable of doing.

“It’s just being steady every week,” Marks said. “A lot of guys have told me, you might have a low game, low carries. Then you’ll have a high game. But just stay to you. Just be you. Go out at practice, every day in practice just come and show your best no matter what.”

The game was close for a while, but Marks helped the Texans put the game out of reach against the 0-4 Titans

Marks broke wide open on his touchdown catch out of the backfield.

He scored on a 20-yard reception. He rushed for an 18-yard touchdown.

Marks is a shifty Mississippi State transfer who rushed for 1,133 yards and nine touchdowns last season and caught 47 passes for 321 yards for the Trojans.

He finished his collegiate career with 3,016 rushing yards and 31 touchdown runs with 261 catches for 1,564 yards and five scores.

For Marks, it was about keeping the game in perspective.

The most important thing was the Texans improving to 1-3 overall.

Signed to a four-year, $6 million contract, Marks figures to have a bright future in Houston.

“I was excited just to get rolling on offense,” Marks said. “Coming out, getting a dub.
That’s what I was really most excited about, just going 1-0.

“All we needed is one. We got one, now we’re gonna show up next week and try to go 1-0. That’s the goal. Just keep the train rolling.

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com