Texas Running Game: Can Rookie Dameon Pierce Become a Houston Star?
HOUSTON -- Dameon Pierce needed 11 carries and two preseason games to catapult himself to the top of the Houston Texans depth chart.
General manager Nick Caserio won’t call him the starter. Neither will coach Lovie Smith. They also don’t have to at this point in the process.
But Pierce is the Texans’ lead running back entering Week 1 of the regular season.
“Dameon has been consistent since he got here,” Caserio said. “He's got a good attitude. He's got a good work ethic. Football is important to him.”
When will Caserio and Smith might ever give Pierce the official title of RB1? For now, production speaks louder than any words spoken by the two men looking to steer Houston in the right direction after back-to-back four-win seasons.
Pierce, a fourth-round pick out of Florida, was a constant in Houston’s backfield this summer, in so many ways that running backs coach Danny Barrett said that he’d gotten better in pass protection.
It showed in games, too. Pierce averaged 7.8 yards per attempt through two preseason games. He recorded his first rushing touchdown in Houston’s 17-0 preseason win over the San Francisco 49ers. Of his 11 carries, five went for first downs.
"He starts playing in games and we’ve seen every step along the way,” Smith said Thursday. “We’ve seen the same thing from him.”
The Texans are hoping to be more effective on the ground in 2022 - and it can’t get much worse from a season ago. Under then-coordinator Tim Kelly, Houston finished dead last among teams in rushing yards (1,422), yards per attempt (3.4) and rushing touchdowns (eight).
Marlon Mack, who signed a one-year, $2 million deal this offseason, never found his footing and was released. The same could be said for Royce Freeman, who averaged 2.7 yards per attempt on 26 carries.
Mack is back on Houston's practice squad. Freeman was released Wednesday but re-signed a day later for depth purposes. The other two running backs, Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale, are role players at best for new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton.
Much of what Pierce can do as an offensive focal point remains unknown. During his four seasons in Gainesville, the Gators used a running back-by-committee approach instead of having one proven lead back.
Pierce’s best statistical season came last fall when he rushed for 574 yards and 13 touchdowns on 100 carries. Pierce never recorded more than 106 attempts in a single season throughout his Florida career.
“They had some different backs through the years,” Caserio said. “When he had a chance, he was productive with his touches.”
Houston is embracing the rookie movement entering Week 1. Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and safety Jalen Pitre are already locked to start against the Indianapolis Colts in Smith’s secondary. On Thursday, the first-year coach said offensive lineman Kenyon Green “would play quickly," meaning he could be the starting left guard come kickoff on Sept. 11.
Burkhead, who led Houston in rushing last season with 427 yards, struggled to find any consistency on the ground during the preseason. Ogunbowale, a five-year veteran with less than 300 career rushing yards, offers more value as a situational runner on third down.
Pierce might finally give Houston a level of consistency in its backfield. The Texans haven’t had a 1,000-yard runner since Carlos Hyde in 2019. They haven't featured a high-end lead back since the days of Arian Foster in the 2010s.
Caserio is invested in Pierce’s potential. Even though the sample size is small, the second-year GM praised the rookie for his ability to make something out of nothing following initial contact.
“He has good lower body strength,” Caserio said. “Good body balance. Pretty instinctive, has good vision.”
The next 18 weeks are a trial run for Hamilton and the offense. Led by second-year quarterback Davis Mills, Caserio is hoping to see if the former third-rounder will be the long-term solution and heir apparent to three-time Pro Bowler Deshaun Watson.
The best way to limit Mills' mistakes? Alleviate the pressure with a rushing attack. So far, Pierce is the first, second, and perhaps the only option for the Texans to be successful on the ground.
And that might be enough for Caserio and Smith.
Said Smith: “We’re excited about him being on the team and that running back room is a lot stronger with him in it.”
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