It used to seem that Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce was bound to become a star in the NFL.
That was after he rushed for 939 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games (all starts) in his rookie season in 2022.
Since then, however, the shine on Pierce’s star has alarmingly faded. The Texans still have Joe Mixon, who is playing on a three-year contract extension he signed with Houston in 2024.
With that, FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano thinks that Pierce is a viable trade candidate this offseason by the Texans, whose attack averaged 22.0 points in 2024.
His future seemed so bright when he ran for 939 yards in 13 games as a rookie in 2022. But he’s only run for 709 yards in the two years since, thanks to a combination of injuries, struggles, and the fact that the Texans keep replacing him. It’s obviously Joe Mixon’s job to lead their backfield now, and it’s not even clear that Pierce will be his primary backup. Given that there are plenty of teams that need running back help, they might be better off getting something for him now before he leaves for nothing after the season.
Joe Mixon’s presence makes it hard to expect a big role for Pierce in the Houston Texans offense
With Mixon firmly entrenched as the Texans starting running back, it appears that Pierce won’t have much of a role beyond just being a handcuff in the backfield.
Still just 25 years old, Pierce could perhaps use a new environment to change the track of his career, but if that’s what he wants right away, he will have to ask Houston to make such a move — unless the Texans are already planning to do it before the start of the 2025 NFL campaign.
Last season, Pierce played in only 11 games, having missed four weeks because of a hamstring injury. He had 293 rushing yards that season but 176 of those came in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Tennessee Titans that only saw Mixon get just five carries before calling it a day.
