The Houston Texans’ 2022 campaign is in a tailspin, but that doesn’t mean that their impressive rookie running back Dameon Pierce isn’t continuing to make headway in the franchise record book. Though his Week 11 performance left something to be desired, he still managed to get into the top two among Texans rookies all time for yardage through his first 10 games.
His 915 yards from scrimmage are second only to Domanick Williams, who tallied 1002 in 2003. Pierce placed ahead of the third-place back, Steve Slaton, in the category by 16 yards and is poised to put himself in a position to continue racking up the accolades as the season continues.
Part of the disappointment for Houston in their Week 11 loss was the sparing usage of Pierce, who only saw 10 carries on the ground and three targets through the air in the game. Clearly, his talent warrants that he is more utilized on the Texans’ struggling offense, and the coaching staff was remiss to limit his involvement in a matchup where it didn’t seem that they were overly concerned with pursuing their second win of the season.
For Pierce, this season has put his abilities at center stage on a weekly basis despite Houston’s struggles. His hard-nosed running style has played well with the Texans’ gritty identity, and perhaps with better quarterback play to take the heat off of Pierce as the feature back, he could blossom into one of the premier running backs in the NFL.
It is unlikely that Davis Mills will take the necessary step forward to keep defenses on their toes, and Pierce will likely have to wait for next season to reach his full potential on a wholly competent offense. For now, though, the weekly reminders of his excellence will serve as a bastion of hope for Texans fans who need a little positivity amid the team’s skid back to being the league’s doormat.
