A promising young team in the AFC may be in on the Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry free agent sweepstakes next month.

Barkley, Henry and 2022 rushing champion Josh Jacobs, three of the NFL’s top running backs, are all pending free agents. Baring any surprises, all three Pro Bowl talents will hit the open market for the first time in their respective careers.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, there are talks around the NFL that the Houston Texans will eye a running back upgrade for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. Fowler even mentioned Barkley and Henry as possible options for the 2023 AFC South champions:
“What’s next: If Houston is one player away on offense, make it an exciting tailback option such as Saquon Barkley or Derrick Henry. There’s buzz leaguewide that Houston could try to improve at running back to help second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud.”

Devin Singletary, who joined Houston on a one-year deal in free agency last year, rushed for a team-leading 898 yards and four touchdowns in 2023. With Singletary likely to leave in free agency, the Texans would be wise to use some of their cap space on a top RB like Barkley or Henry.

Despite missing three games in 2023, the 27-year-old Barkley finished with 962 rushing yards and six touchdowns. In 2022, Barkley rushed for a career-high 1,312 yards and helped the New York Giants to a surprise playoff berth.

As for the 30-year-old Henry, his 1,167 rushing yards placed him second in the league, behind only Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers. Henry hit 12 rushing TDs in 2023, marking his sixth straight season with double-digit rushing touchdowns.