Texans' David Johnson Placed on COVID-19 Reserve List Ahead of Seahawks Game

The Houston Texans placed running back David Johnson on the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Johnson has run for 176 yards and caught 28 passes for 214 yards and one touchdown through 11 games.

His absence will force the Texans to lean on Rex Burkhead and Royce Freeman more to anchor the running game.

Johnson was dealt a bad hand from the moment he landed in Houston by virtue of moving to the team through the DeAndre Hopkins trade.

"I was in such a fishbowl," he said to The Athletic's Aaron Reiss. "Everything I did was going to be magnified because of the trade. Honestly, I felt like if I was traded for anyone else, it wouldn’t be as bad. I think just the magnitude of the trade is what made it so stressful."

Johnson totaled 1,005 yards from scrimmage and scored eight touchdowns in 2020 as the Texans finished 4-12.

At 2-10, Houston is already eliminated from playoff contention, and it has one of the NFL's worst offenses with Deshaun Watson continuing to be inactive because of his ongoing legal situation.

The Texans are averaging the fewest yards (254.5) and points (13.7) per game. A telling fact about the state of the running game is that Mark Ingram II remains the leading rusher (294 yards) despite not having suited up since Week 7.

Losing Johnson from the backfield exacerbates their issues on the ground. Burkhead is averaging 2.8 yards per carry, while Freeman has only been slightly better (3.6 yards per carry) between his spells with the Texans and Carolina Panthers in 2021.