The NFL Draft is approaching and few teams have been as active on draft day as the Houston Texans. General manager Nick Caserio has made a truckload of trades in the draft since becoming the Texans general manager in 2021 and while they own seven selections and four selections in the top 89 picks in this year’s draft, the action could extend to players on the roster if they choose to hunt for more capital.
The Texans’ roster is locked in terms of young cornerstones but there are a few that are expendable. In the case of one playmaker, his grip on his job seems to be loosening and it could lead him to a trade if Houston adds another player at his position during the draft.
Dameon Pierce Could Be on the Way Out of Houston on Draft Day
The Texans’ backfield has been overhauled over the past calendar year. Joe Mixon was brought in as part of a March 2024 trade with the Cincinnati Bengals and has been the unquestioned workhorse since he arrived in Houston.
But while Mixon’s starting role is safe, the Texans could bring in another running back as a succession plan in the draft, which could pave the way for Dameon Pierce to be traded.
Pierce was part of Houston’s long-term plans after a promising rookie season. A fourth-round pick by the Texans in the 2022 draft, Pierce ran 220 times for 939 yards and four touchdowns while catching 30 passes for 165 yards and another touchdown.
While Pierce’s rookie season was promising, it turned out to be a high-water mark. He carried the ball 145 times during his sophomore campaign in 2023 but he averaged just 2.9 yards per carry. That came along with a 37.9% success rate, which measures the frequency a back picks up 40% of yards needed on first down, 60% on second down and 100% on third and fourth downs.
After a down year, Pierce turned into a ghost in 2024 with just 293 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries. Nearly half of Pierce’s workload came in the Week 18 season finale, as he ran 19 times for 176 yards and a touchdown. Though the Texans benched their starters in that 23-14 win over the Tennessee Titans, it also served as a showcase for teams looking for running back depth in the draft.
This is where things could get interesting. This year’s draft class is a loaded one and it would make sense for the Texans to take one to take some of the workload off Mixon’s plate. While Ashton Jeanty is probably off the table, Houston could take a flier on North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton late in the first round or dive into a group that has 10 players listed in the top 100 players on Pro Football Focus’s big board.
Taking a back could put Pierce on the block, but it’s hard to say if a team will be interested in making a deal with such a deep class. If a team does see something they like in him, perhaps it could lead to a late-round draft pick being offered for Piece, who's entering the final year of his rookie deal.
That could pave the way for Houston to make a surprising move on draft day and give Pierce the chance for a second act.