Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce is a guy to watch out for this season. He’s a dark horse to lead the NFL in rushing. Their offensive line got much better, he’s in year two so he’s more used to the NFL now, and their offense just has a new look and he’ll be relied on.
Texans starting running back: Dameon Pierce
In 2022, Pierce rushed for 939 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games and was the only bright spot for the Texans offense. Getting a guy with his talent in the 4th round was a steal for the Texans and he should continue to start and be productive. It will be exciting to see what he can do with the new offensive weapons they got.
Sometimes it can be bad for a running back to play with a rookie quarterback as defenses force the quarterback to throw a lot more. However C.J. Stroud is a true passer and defenses will be forced to stay balanced with him as the starting quarterback. I think Pierce rushes for 1,100-1,250 yards this season and 7+ touchdowns.
Who is Pierce’s backup on the Texans RB depth chart?
The Texans added Devin Singletary in free agency which I was a bit surprised to see. Singletary rushed for 819 yards last year, so it will be interesting how they split the backfields carries. I think Singletary will be relied upon more in the passing game while Pierce is the clear RB1.
Singletary had to know when signing with the Texans that he would take a lesser role. All teams use two running backs in a big role, but it’ll be much different for him than before where he was the Buffalo Bills RB1 for a few seasons. The Bills offense threw the ball a ton, so he should be good taking the pass-catcher running back role this year.
