The Houston Texans have made things quite interesting for veteran running back Dameon Pierce this offseason.
Pierce, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal, saw the Texans take a rookie running back in the fourth round (Woody Marks) and re-sign veteran running back Dare Ogunbowale to a one-year contract.
When you add those two factors in, plus Pierce not being used a lot in 2024, it makes it hard to see him being on the Texans’ 53-man roster before Week 1 kicks off. Last season, the former fourth-round pick played a career-worst 111 offensive snaps. However, he saw an increase in special teams snaps, going from 12 in 2023 to 48 in 2024.
The 5-foot-10, 215-pound running back had 293 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries. But he was used sparingly in the passing game, recording two receptions (four targets) for two yards.
In Pierce’s rookie season (2022), he posted 30 receptions (39 targets) for 165 yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with 13 receptions (17 targets) for 101 yards in 2023.
The only saving grace for Pierce last season was that he averaged 37.7 yards per kick return (nine attempts).
However, Pierce isn’t guaranteed to handle kick return duties. Houston signed veteran wide receiver Braxton Berrios to a one-year deal, and they have rookie wideout Jaylin Noel, who has special teams experience.
Then, to make matters worse for Pierce, Ogunbowale saw more offensive (310) and special teams snaps (269) last season. The 31-year-old running back didn’t do much on the ground, posting 112 yards on 30 carries. But Ogunbowale saw more work in the passing game than Pierce, racking up 19 receptions (28 targets) for 198 yards and a touchdown.
When you have guys competing against each other for the RB3 spot, the deciding factor will likely be special teams, which leans heavily in Ogunbowale’s favor. Nonetheless, if the Texans believe they don’t have a clearly defined role for Pierce, they should trade him to try to recoup some value this summer instead of letting him go for nothing.