The Houston Texans have a bell cow at running back. Dameon Pierce solved the Texans’ running back issues from Week 1. Houston knows they have a starter for the next three seasons.
However, the running back stable could still use some work as the only backs under contract are Dare Ogunbowale and Gerrid Doaks. Ogunbowale carried 42 times for 123 yards and a touchdown while catching 20 passes for 104 yards. Doaks spent time on and off the Texans’ practice squad and signed a reserve/future contract with Houston at the end of the 2022 campaign.
To complement Pierce, either the Texans need more experience, which is what they had with 32-year-old Rex Burkhead, or they need younger talent.
A name the Texans ought to take a look at in the 2023 NFL draft is former Tulane running back Tyjae Spears.
According to Michael Renner from Pro Football Focus, Spears is the eighth-best running back in their rankings, and the 100th-best player on their big board.
Spears has the kind of dynamism everyone is looking for at the position, but he has the kind of play style that has a history of looking a lot better in college than it does in the NFL.
The Texans don’t need Spears to be the lead ball carrier; they have that in Pierce. That means Spears’ play style would not be detrimental to Houston if it ended up not translating to the pro level.
Spears generated 229 carries for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns while hauling in 22 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns through 14 games for the Green Wave.
It all comes down to how much capital the Texans are willing to spend and if it makes sense. If Spears is the 100th-best player on the board, presuming the draft tracks exactly with PFF’s board rankings, then that would be the penultimate pick in the third round. Houston’s nearest pick is No. 103 in Round 4. Essentially the Texans would be spending what they used to take Pierce to add someone to help him shoulder the load.
