Texans' David Johnson: Facing veteran competition

Johnson is joined in the Houston backfield by fellow veterans Phillip Lindsay, Mark Ingram and Rex Burkhead, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Johnson, Lindsay and Ingram all have experience in lead roles, while Burkhead is a versatile reserve who has never taken more than 74 carries in a season. Though he was a mediocre performer in his first season for Houston, Johnson remains the favorite to lead their backfield in 2021, in part due to a $4.25 million guarantee on his $6 million salary. Lindsay, Ingram and Burkhead all settled for smaller deals this offseason, with the latter two potentially even facing battles for roster spots this summer. Johnson's place on the team should be safe, but it's possible he ends up splitting carries in what could be a bottom-five offense if Deshaun Watson isn't available to play due to his ongoing legal trouble. There's also some chance Johnson ends up in a three-down role, which could lead to fantasy value even if he's inefficient and doesn't have too many scoring opportunities.