Dameon Pierce looked like one of the league’s more impressive running backs during his rookie season with the Houston Texans. Turns out, however, things went downhill even faster than he could.
Pierce reportedly was waived by the Texans on Thursday in the final year of his rookie contract. A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Pierce was a healthy scratch in five games this season. He can now be claimed off waivers, or if he clears, can sign with any team as an unrestricted free agent.
Could Pierce make sense for the Patriots? New England has dealt with some injuries at the position, after all.
Patriots second-string running back Antonio Gibson suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Week 5. Starting running back Rhamondre Stevenson missed the last three games, though has returned to the practice field ahead of the team’s Week 12 matchup against the Bengals. Even Terrell Jennings, who started the season on the practice squad before being signed to the 53-man roster after Gibson’s injury, was recently hindered with a knee injury.
Just a few weeks ago rookie TreVeyon Henderson and practice squad signee D’Ernest Johnson were New England’s only healthy running backs. Attrition is real at the position.
It’s fair to note the Patriots appear to be trending in the right direction when it comes to their running back room. There’s a chance Stevenson, Henderson and Jennings are all on the gameday roster Sunday. And New England has three others — Rushawn Baker, Jonathan Ward, Johnson — on the practice squad.
Neither Baker nor Ward, however, have the enticing resume Pierce does.
The 25-year-old Pierce recorded 1,100-plus yards of offense as a rookie including a 4.3-yard-per-rush average (220 rushes, 939 yards, four touchdowns). He averaged 7.3 yards per carry in 11 games in 2024, a product of a hamstring injury, while seven of his 40 rushes went for first downs.
Meanwhile, Baker is an undrafted rookie and hasn’t played in a game this season. Ward entered the league as an undrafted rookie in 2020 and has played in 11 games combine the last two seasons. He’s played just 2.5 percent of offensive snaps over the course of his career with his primary duties being on special teams.
Pierce fell behind Devin Singletary in 2023, fell behind 1,000-yard rusher Joe Mixon in 2024 and this season was jumped by Nick Chubb and fourth-round rookie Woody Marks. Pierce has just 10 carries for 26 yards in four games this season.
With that said, though, Pierce would offer a higher ceiling than any running back on New England’s practice squad and perhaps even become a gameday elevation behind Stevenson and Henderson.
