There was a point in mid-August, when it was becoming clear that injured running back Joe Mixon wouldn't be returning to the field any time soon where it looked like there was a chance that Dameon Pierce would end up emerging as the featured back in the Houston Texans backfield. All that Pierce needed to do was beat out rookie 4th rounder Woody Marks and perennially injured veteran Nick Chubb to earn the starting spot.
It didn't appear that this was going to be an overly ambitious ask. As a rookie in 2022, Pierce burst onto the scene, rushing for 939 yards and 4 touchdowns in just 13 games. A sophomore slump ensued in 2023, but even in a limited role in 2024, Pierce averaged 7.3 yards per carry during his third NFL season.
But any momentum it seemed that Pierce had turned out to be a mirage, because by the time the 2025 season arrived, the 25-year-old fourth-year back had been rendered irrelevant. In just four appearances between Week 1 and Week 11, Pierce carried 10 times for 26 yards, and on November 20th, he was released by the Texans.
It didn't take long though for Dameon Pierce to find a new home. Just three days after being released, the once-promising change of pace back was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs not long after KC did the Texans a solid by defeating the AFC South leading Indianapolis Colts in overtime on Sunday afternoon. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, who was one of the first to break the news, Pierce will start on the Chiefs practice squad.
While the Chiefs could afford to add more depth to a running back room that is middle of the pack both in total rushing yards and yards per rush attempt, the timing of this signing is somewhat curious, considering Kansas City and Houston will face each other in a pivotal AFC showdown in Week 14. Could this be a tactical decision even more so than a personnel decision?
Perhaps, but either way, Pierce has shown he could be a game breaker both in the backfield and as a return man, so for the Chiefs, there was more than enough upside to make this particular move around the margins.