HOUSTON — Things were going very well for Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce throughout the first 13 games of his 2022 rookie season.
The fourth-rounder was proving to the rest of the NFL that the Texans got a steal by taking a chance on him. The former Florida product was being considered for Offensive Rookie of the Year by the voters as he was the leading rusher amongst all rookies and in the top ten of all running backs in the league in rushing yards.
But everything came to a halt after Pierce suffered a high ankle sprain against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13 that caused him to be placed on the injured reserve list and miss the last four games of the season. At the time of his injury, he was ranked seventh in rushing with 939 yards, just 61 yards shy of 1,000 yards for the season.
With a new offensive system being installed by first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik which will focus on getting the ball in his hands more, Pierce has come into training camp looking leaner and quicker. He also recognizes what an entirely healthy season will look like for him.
“It’s going to look a lot better than last year,” said Pierce when talking about his rookie season. “Definitely cap 1,000 [rushing] yards. I definitely see that as a goal I have for myself. That’s what I expect from me, so I definitely want to cap 1,000. ‘Slow’ [Bobby Slowik] expects that, everybody around me expects that, and I’m going to try everything in my power to get that.”
Pierce isn’t the only one with high expectations for him this season. First-year head coach DeMeco Ryans watched the running backs flourish on his former team, the San Francisco 49ers, in a similar system to what Slowik will run this season.
“I definitely want to cap [rush] a 1,000,” said Texans RB Dameon Pierce when asked what a fully healthy season will look like for him. Pierce missed the last four games of the 2022 season with a high-ankle sprain. #Texans #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/FjUzrA7Tq5
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) July 29, 2023
“For us to be a good offense, we have to have Dameon at his A-game,” Ryans told reporters after training camp practice. “We know his abilities, capabilities as a back, and what he can do.”
Always looking for a competitive edge, Pierce realizes that he surprised a lot of teams who looked at his draft position and didn’t think he would be as explosive and powerful as he was during the game. Coming into this season, he wants to improve by becoming a better player while executing the same game plan off the field as he does in between the hash marks.
“Coach ‘D.B.’ [Danny Barrett] has a lot to do with this — just learning how to be a pro off the field — because on the field is the easy part,” Pierce stated when he was asked about the lessons he has learned from last season. “We’ve been playing football our whole life, but getting into a routine, getting in the building early, getting that film, retaining the information that is given.
“Just small stuff like that makes me a better player on the field because the less I think, the faster I play. And with the way that I’ve been playing, if you add more speed to that, the possibilities are endless. My ceiling is as high as ever. So just working on — from last year to this year — what I’ve learned is it’s the little things, so [there can be a] big result. I’ve been working on a lot of little things.”