The Houston Texans bolstered their running back room this offseason, with two new additions to the group led by Joe Mixon. In the aftermath of the Nick Chubb signing, NFL Analysis explores the potential exit for a former starter.
Nick Chubb signed a one-year $2.5 million deal with the Houston Texans this week, likely becoming the RB2 right behind Joe Mixon. The franchise now has an overloaded group of backs, which could result in a trade.
Options for Dameon Pierce as Texans RB room expands
Former fourth-round draft pick from the 2022 draft class, Dameon Pierce, has found himself tumbling down the depth chart over the past couple of seasons.
The 25-year-old had a solid rookie season in Houston, with 939 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns as the franchise’s lead back. However, the franchise brought in Devin Singletary in 2023, and he quickly took over as the primary ball carrier, cutting Pierce’s reps from the 220 carries he had as a rookie to just 148 in year two.
That decline only dropped further in 2024. Singletary departed for the New York Giants, and the Texans traded for former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon. He was on the verge of being cut largely due to salary cap constraints, and the Texans stepped in to ensure they landed him with a trade.
Mixon has been a standout runner in the league for several years, and in 2024 posted one of the best seasons of his eight-year career. In his first year in a Texans uniform, he managed 1,210 rushing yards and 13 TDs.
Pierce’s opportunities declined even further, with a steep drop-off to just 46 carries on the season. While the Texans have a new offensive coordinator in Nick Caley, he is unlikely to favor Pierce over Mixon and Chubb.
Instead, it’s looking more likely that Dameon Pierce will be playing elsewhere in 2025, especially considering the addition of rookie fourth round draft pick Woody Marks.
The Texans currently have seven running backs on the roster, including JJ Taylor, Dare Ogunbowale and Jawhar Jordan.
With that in mind, here are three options for Pierce.
Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley is the bell-cow back in Philly; there’s no debate about that. Where they’re potentially lacking is in depth. They could use a back who can manage 75-100 carries as the RB2 on the roster, which could be AJ Dillon, whom they acquired during the offseason.
Should they pick up Dameon Pierce, either for a 7th round draft pick or as a potential free agent, he could compete for reps as the RB2/RB3 on the roster with Dillon and Will Shipley.
Shipley was a rookie with the Eagles in 2024, taking 34 carries for 159 rushing yards and a touchdown.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers lost Jordan Mason during the offseason, signing a free agency deal with the Minnesota Vikings. They’ll now turn to Isaac Guerendo as the RB2 behind Christian McCaffrey, but their depth beyond that is largely unproven.
They drafted Jordan James in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft, currently expected to be the third back on the depth chart. That could be a spot for Pierce to compete for reps, in an offense that has always been heavily devoted to the ground game.
Washington Commanders
Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson are both free agents at the end of the 2025 season. Ekeler’s name has already come up as a potential trade/cut, but even if he stays the course for the upcoming year, the Commanders may look to add further depth.
The third back on the roster right now is Jeremy McNichols, who had 60 carries for 270 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2024.
The Washington Commanders run the football a lot, especially with Jayden Daniels taking off. More competition and depth at running back doesn’t seem like a bad idea.
