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EspañolWhat David Montgomery trade to Texans means for Woody Marks
What David Montgomery trade to Texans means for Woody Marks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Houston Texans didn't wait long to find a new backfield contributor.
On Monday, a couple weeks before free agency even opens, they swung a trade with the Detroit Lions. It cost the Texans just a fifth-round pick to acquire David Montgomery.
Montgomery is 28 years old but still an effective back, running for eight touchdowns and 4.5 yards per carry in 2025.
He had just become expendable in Detroit thanks to the continued emergence of superstar RB Jahmyr Gibbs.
The fit with the Texans is fascinating, though, because of Woody Marks.
What happens to Woody Marks after David Montgomery trade?
Marks put together a promising rookie season, but now his workload seems destined to shift with the acquisition of Montgomery.
In reality, the Texans probably don't plan to change their long-term outlook on Marks much. He's still an impressive receiving back who also gets the job done on the ground.
But in the near term, this could mean a 50-50 kind of carry split between Marks and Montgomery.
The Texans may have felt this was a necessary move for one reason: Marks' injuries.
In almost every game he played as a rookie, Marks needed to depart for the blue medical tent. Most of the time, he made it back on the field, but it's still a concerning trend.
For a team that wants to finally make it past the AFC Divisional Round, veteran depth at RB is a positive thing.
Montgomery is still a quality player, and he can take the load off Marks not in a diminishing way but in a way that improves Houston's team as a whole.
Spurs given suspended ticket ban for Nazi salutes
Uefa has fined Tottenham Hotspur and given them a suspended ban from selling away tickets after three supporters made Nazi salutes towards Eintracht Frankfurt fans.
The incident occurred during their Champions League fixture - which Spurs won 2-0 - at the German club's Deutsche Bank Park on 28 January.
Uefa said it issued the ban for "the racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters" and it was "suspended for a probationary period of one year".
Tottenham were fined £26,000 (30,000 euros) by European football's governing body in addition to £1,966 (2,250 euros) for objects thrown by their supporters.
Spurs said the "conduct of a small number of fans" was "utterly abhorrent" and have issued them with banning orders.
"We can confirm that all three individuals found to be making Nazi salutes towards Eintracht Frankfurt fans have been identified and have received indefinite bans under the club's sanctions and banning policy," said Spurs.
"The club stands firmly against all forms of discrimination and has therefore taken the strongest possible action. The disgusting behaviour of a minority of so-called fans on the night is in no way reflective of the values of our club and its supporters."
Last week, Real Madrid launched an investigation after a supporter allegedly performed a Nazi salute before the club's Champions League win against Benfica.
2026 UK Open: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained
The UK Open is the next major to take place in the PDC.
Where to watch the Orioles in the World Baseball Classic 2026
This year’s edition of the World Baseball Classic gets under way on what is, to us, Wednesday night with games kicking off in Tokyo. Most teams will be playing exhibitions against a major league club on Tuesday or Wednesday with their pool play beginning on Friday. The Orioles players who are on these rosters will not be back in camp until their team has been eliminated from the tournament.
Here’s the players from the Orioles organization who are on WBC rosters and the schedules for their teams:
USA
- Gunnar Henderson
The star Orioles shortstop is the lone American representative this time around. He might be playing third base rather than shortstop, with Royals infielder Bobby Witt Jr. expected to get a lot of reps at short.
Schedule and opponents
Pool play in Houston, Texas
- March 3: Exhibition vs. Giants, 3pm, ESPN
- March 6: vs. Brazil (road team), 8pm, Fox
- March 7: vs. Great Britain (home team), 8pm, Fox
- March 9: vs. Mexico (home team), 8pm, Fox
- March 10: vs. Italy (home team), 9pm, FS1
Canada
- Tyler O’Neill
- Micah Ashman
The Canadian outfielder O’Neill continued his Opening Day home run streak in his home country last year. He’s looked good so far this spring. Don’t get hurt while playing for Team Canada! Ashman, a reliever, was acquired from the Tigers for Charlie Morton last July.
Schedule and opponents
Pool play in San Juan, PR
- March 3: Exhibition vs. Blue Jays, 1:07, MLB Network
- March 7: vs. Colombia (home team), 11am, FS2
- March 8: vs. Panama (home team), 7pm, FS2
- March 10: vs. Puerto Rico (road team), 7pm, FS2
- March 11: vs. Cuba (road team), 3pm, FS2
Great Britain
- Ryan Long
It’s a running joke on Camden Chat that Long is a distant cousin of our writer Stacey. Long, 26, was a 17th round pick in 2021 who has mostly topped out at the Double-A level.
Schedule and opponents
Pool play in Houston, Texas
- March 6: vs. Mexico (home team), 1pm, FS1
- March 7: vs. USA (road team), 8pm, Fox
- March 8: vs. Italy (road team), 1pm, tubi
- March 9: vs. Brazil (home team), 1pm, tubi
Israel
- Dean Kremer
There are a number of MLB-experienced players on the Israel roster and one of them is Kremer, who might even be the best pitcher this team has.
Schedule and opponents
Pool play in Miami, Florida
- March 7: vs. Venezuela (road team), 7pm, FS2
- March 8: vs. Nicaragua (home team), 7pm, tubi
- March 9: vs. Dominican Republic (home team), 12pm, FS1
- March 10: vs. Netherlands (road team), 7pm, Fox Sports
Panama
- Enrique Bradfield Jr.
We know he’s good on defense and we know he’s fast on the bases. Can he threaten enough power to be a decent major league regular? Mostly we’ll find out at Triple-A this year, though if he gets to face some MLB-caliber pitching in the WBC, that won’t be bad for him either.
Schedule and opponents
Pool play in San Juan, PR
- March 6: vs. Cuba (home team), 11am, FS2
- March 7: vs. Puerto Rico (road team), 6pm, FS1
- March 8: vs. Canada (road team), 7pm, FS2
- March 9: vs. Colombia (home team), 12pm, FS2
Puerto Rico
- Jose Espada
- Rico Garcia
- Luis Vázquez
All three of these players appeared for the Orioles last season, although none had a major role. Garcia has a spot penciled in that’s his in the bullpen. Espada could make it as well. Vázquez has an opportunity to take a utility spot given that both Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg are starting the season on the injured list.
Schedule and opponents
Pool play in San Juan, PR
- March 6: vs. Colombia (road team), 6pm, FS1
- March 7: vs. Panama (home team), 6pm, FS1
- March 9: vs. Cuba (road team), 7pm, FS1
- March 10: vs. Canada (home team), 7pm, tubi
Reserve players
The following players are on the Designated Pitcher Pool for their teams, meaning they are not on the active initial roster but could be added between rounds:
- Australia: Kailen Hamson
- Dominican Republic: Yaramil Hiraldo
- Mexico: Nestor German
2026 Phillies roster projection, 2.0
March has suddenly snuck up on us, which means actual real baseball will begin in earnest later this month. We’ll get to experience the thrill of the World Baseball Classic once it begins in a few days, but the curtain raising on the MLB season is mere weeks away at this point. That means rosters are starting to get formed and while injuries may still have their say in which team gets assembled in what way, the basic skeleton of the Phillies is likely already in place.
Roster projections are nothing new and help us get ready for the games, so making one is something of a warm up for the year. We have done this already once this season, so now, a month later, it seems appropriate to do so one more time. Let’s take another stab at what the final 26-man roster is going to look like.
Catcher – J.T. Realmuto, Rafael Marchan
While Realmuto is entrenched at the starter’s position, it’s the backup spot that is more interesting. There has been no indication that Garrett Stubbs is an immediate threat to taking the job back from Marchan, yet it doesn’t seem implausible that it could happen. Doing so would require the team moving on from Marchan in either a trade or a waiver placement, something they might be loathe to do so as to protect whatever catching depth they might possess.
Yet there might be a tinge of merit to the idea that Stubbs’ familiarity with the incoming ABS system might be somewhat beneficial to the team. Having had a full-ish season in Lehigh Valley with the system might be attractive in a weird sort of way. Couple that with his having worked for most of the season with Andrew Painter, an increasingly important part of the 2026 Phillies, and there could be a benefit to his remaining Realmuto’s caddy. In the end, that meager “upgrade” over Marchan probably isn’t worth a roster change, but it’s at least something to pay attention to as the spring games continue.
Infield – Bryce Harper, Bryson Stott, Trea Turner, Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa, Otto Kemp
This group is six remains the same as nothing has changed about what may or may not happen with alignment. Outside of a surprise trade this late in the game, these will be the infielders. There is always the chance that Dylan Moore sneaks in as that 26th man that gets cut almost immediately, but he just hasn’t done much of anything this spring to warrant getting additional serious looks.
What, were you expecting Rhys Hoskins?
Outfield – Brandon Marsh, Justin Crawford, Adolis Garcia, Johan Rojas
No change here either, yet the specter of Bryan de la Cruz hovering in the corner and taking over for Rojas is very real.
Designated hitter – Kyle Schwarber
Easiest choice there is.
Starting rotation – Cristopher Sanchez, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker, Andrew Painter
Again, no changes. If anything, Rob Thomson might be chiseling this starting five in a stone tablet as opposed to writing in pencil. The reports around Painter and his re-emerging arm slot have invigorated the coaching staff and lent credence to the idea that last season was more of a rumble strip that woke him up on his path to Philadelphia. A full season of pitching after having sat out for two seasons will wear a body down, but now with a full offseason behind him and the major league coaching staff getting their hands on him, optimism is high.
Sunday’s outing helps as well.
Relief pitching – Jhoan Duran, Jose Alvarado, Brad Keller, Tanner Banks, Orion Kerkering, Zach McCambley, Kyle Backhus, Jonathan Bowlan
The reporting surrounding Kyle Backhus, coupled with the views that we have seen from him, are likely landing him the final bullpen spot. A slight uptick in velocity to go with his general funkiness on the mound are going to cause headaches for opposing batters.
McCambley is possibly teetering at this point as he either make the team or goes back to Miami thanks to Rule 5 draft rules. That return to the Marlins possibly happens whenever Wheeler is ready to return to the rotation, but if he, McCambley, can continue to get outs during spring training games, the team might lean into the idea of keeping optionable pitchers in Lehigh Valley to continue to preserve depth for the long season ahead.
Injured list – Zack Wheeler
Wheeler throwing off a mound already is good news for the team, though caution will still the rule of the day. An early May return looks like the best outcome as some minor league rehab starts will probably be needed before the team waves the green flag on his season.