When a new coaching staff takes over a team, the transition if going to go better for some players than others. For the Texans this past season, there are guys like Nico Collins and Jon Greenard whose careers and future earning power may have been saved by DeMeco Ryans' arrival. On the other hand, at the far end of the "swept aside" side of the spectrum, there was Dameon Pierce.

In 2022, Pierce, a fourth round rookie out of Florida, was a revelation, or at least as close to a revelation as a 3-13-1 team is allowed to have. Pierce rushed for nearly 1,000 yards before an ankle injury shut down his final month of the season. Pierce was one of the few reasons to even watch the Texans in that 2022 season, and his fun loving, affable personality was the cherry on top of the sundae.

Enter Ryans, and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, with a new zone running scheme. It was evident very early that (a) Ryans REALLY wanted things to work with Pierce as the starter, and (b) there was no way things were going to work with Pierce as the starter. By midseason, Devin Singletary took over the lead back role and never gave ti back.

Pierce, to his credit, found a way to get on the field as a kick returner, but his struggles carrying the football in the run game continued. On the past game show after the loss to Cleveland in Week 16, Pierce told me and Clint Stoerner that he was indeed struggling to pick up the scheme, and it'd probably take this offseason to really fix things. In the playoff loss to Baltimore, Pierce never saw the field on offense.

So now what happens with Pierce? Singletary is a free agent, but Ryans has made no secret that he wants him back. The team could (and should) bring another veteran running back onto the roster. Pierce has two years left on his rookie deal, so he isn't going anywhere. The team isn't cutting him, at least not until after a full training camp and the paring down to 53 players in early September.

So what happened with Pierce between now and the start of the season? What happens with a guy who's gone from face of the franchise (albeit, at the time, an awful football team) to an afterthought? Here are the possibilities, in ascending order, in my opinion:

Dameon Pierce is the Week 1 starter
I'd be surprised if Pierce were the Week 1 starter, only because I think the team is going to sign a "starter" level player in free agency, whose purpose is to BE the starting running back. I think injury to a player like that is the only way Pierce starts Week 1.

Dameon Pierce gets released
I feel strongly this won't happen, but Pierce being a garden variety, "end of camp" cut is in play. If they have three running backs who are better, and there's no trade market for him, then they could waive him, and try to bring him back on the practice squad. Now, I do think someone would pick Pierce up pretty quickly if he's out there. He is a good fit in a more straight ahead, power scheme.

The system clicks for Pierce, and he's in the RB rotation for 8 to 10 carries a game
This is the scenario I'm hoping for, because I think this is the scenario that most likely gives the Texans their deepest and strongest possible running back room. It also means that things have clicked, to some degree, with Pierce and the system, and that would make me happy.

Dameon Pierce is kept on the team for depth and special teams
I think the Texans would really like to find a way to have Pierce on this team. There is no better teammate in their locker room than Pierce. So perhaps he is 2-24's Dare Ogunbowale, without the place kicking chops.

Dameon Pierce is traded for a Day 3 pick
Ultimately, I think this might make the most sense for both sides. We may get our tell by how many running backs the Texans sign in free agency. If they sign two that we think make the team out of camp, I think that leaves the door open to drafting one in April, and trading Pierce to a team with a better scheme for him for a Day 3 draft pick.

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