The Houston Texans may still have one of the more underwhelming rosters in the NFL, but that does not mean that all of their position groups are devoid of talent.
According to Kevin Patra from NFL.com, the Texans are in the “acquire depth” portion of teams with their running back situations, and it is thanks to the fourth-round selection of Dameon Pierce in the 2022 NFL draft.
Houston unearthed a gem in Pierce. The fourth-round pick runs angrily and plows through arm tackles with ease. Pierce generated 939 yards on 220 carries with four TDs despite missing the season’s final four weeks. He’s the Texans’ clear workhorse back heading into the 2023 campaign. As with most of Houston’s roster, upgrades around Pierce would be helpful. Adding a pass-catching back is necessary, particularly if Houston finally quits Rex Burkhead.
The other aspect of Pierce’s 939 yards is he was held to exactly eight yards in each contest from Weeks 11-12. If Pierce even puts up a 72-yard performance — the approximation to his yards per game average — he would have crested the 1,000-yard mark, and not needed an extra four games to do so.
Regardless of who is the offensive coordinator in Houston, Pierce locks down the starting running back job. All the front office must do is acquire talent, and the coaching staff must develop it to provide an adequate bench behind Pierce.
Dare Ogunbowale remains under contract for Houston. The former 2017 undrafted free agent carried 42 times for 123 yards and a touchdown while also catching 20 passes for 104 yards. In terms of technically being a backup, the Texans have it with Ogunbowale. However, the structure of the Texans’ running back stable at the moment is one where Pierce does it all. If Houston wants to preserve Pierce, they will need to add a complementary back either in free agency or the draft.
