Texans Talk: Is Pierce The Best Rookie Ever?
If you’ve been living under a rock this season, a rookie is tearing it up in Houston. The guy is what many call “a dude.” He is an absolute dog. He is, indeed, HIM. His name is Dameon Pierce.
Texans Drafted Pierce With Different Intentions
Truthfully, the Texans have been looking for someone to be “the guy” since the Arian Foster days. However, I’m not sure they even knew what they had on their hands when they drafted Pierce. His scouting report was chalked with notes saying he would be a great role player in the NFL (an Alfred Morris comparison). However, despite his physique and general athleticism, he’d only had nine career games with ten or more carries while attending Florida. He showed promise, but his ceiling was unclear.
Dameon Pierce (RB – Florida) is a name that you should get used to hearing. – displays great contact balance – above average burst – former ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – really soft hands out of the backfield – potentially Day 2 draft capital One of my personal favorites. pic.twitter.com/QiPvHqc8ET — Christian Williams (@CWilliamsNFL) January 13, 2022
The hope was he could be another piece in the Texans’ offense to help quarterback Davis Mills. Additionally, the Texans were dedicated to establishing some run game after abysmal numbers in 2021. They even signed Marlon Mack in April, hoping he would be the starter. However, Dameon Pierce had other plans.
A Texans Rookie With Immediate Impact
During his pre-draft interviews, Pierce spoke about how he runs “angry” and does not run with “good intentions.” It was immediately apparent he was telling the truth. Pick any preseason game he played, and you would notice Pierce practically jumping off the screen. He was lethal with his burst, ability to make cuts quickly, and, more importantly, showcase his vision.
In case that wasn’t enough, did I mention he was practically DRAGGING GROWN MEN with him across the field? Moreover, Pierce accomplished something I’ve never seen: PFF gave a grade that perfectly matched the play. (Seriously. That’s how you know it’s real.) Pierce finished his convincing case to be RB1 with 11 carries for 86 yards and one touchdown.
Pierce Could Be Best Texans Rookie Ever
As the league enters the mid-way point of the season, Pierce is top five in rushing yards. He sits behind Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley, and Derrick Henry. That’s some elite company. NFL Media circles are taking notice, and many spoke on his dominance after the Texans’ loss to the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. (Pierce finished with 23 carries for 123 yards).
This rookie 🔥 Count the broken tackles. @IRep229#PHIvsHOU on Prime Video Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/eUDwChPddF pic.twitter.com/VpTPxVfbqS — NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2022
Head Coach Lovie Smith also jumped in with his thoughts: “You know, I wouldn’t want to be a defensive back with him having a full head of steam running downhill. You know, when I say just continuing to go, keeping his legs moving, moving the pile. What we want to be, a running football team. Physical running attack. Our tailback kind of says it all in what we would like to be.”
The Texans can feel confident they found a critical piece in their rebuild. Pierce has joined Andre Johnson, Deandre Hopkins, and Arian Foster as the only players in franchise history with over 750 yards and four-plus touchdowns in the first eight games of a season. They should feel excited about his trajectory and the much-needed production he has brought to the team.
The Offensive Rookie of the Year title runs through Houston.