Dameon Pierce's future with the Houston Texans is very up in the air

The expectations for Dameon Pierce since arriving in Houston have been lofty. They drafted him in the fourth round and the hope was that he would find his way to the starting spot. In his rookie year, he looked like he could be a starter. He averaged well over four yards per carry and really made a case for himself to be the long-term starter with the club.

Then his second season saw him decline. Partly due to a bad offensive line but also partly due to his own struggles. After all, Devin Singletary succeeded behind the same offensive line, so it's not just about the hosses in front. So it's not all on the line, clearly Pierce struggled. So much so that when Singletary left, the team got Joe Mixon to be their new starter.

Prior to that, they were adamant about trying to land Saquon Barkley. Clearly, Pierce isn't the guy in Houston. It seems obvious, so much so that everyone possible was trying to fantasy book his arrival to someone elses team.

Namely, the Dallas Cowboys, who instead filled that hole with a returning Ezekiel Elliott. Despite the most obvious team landing a running back, the rumors around Pierce persist. That said, it does appear that Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio has Pierce in the team's plans for 2024.

He's gone on the record with Sports Radio 610's Payne and Pendergas (via Sports Illustrated) to say that Pierce is sticking around and more importantly, why;

""Watching him move on the field, he looks pretty good. Everybody's looking forward to the opportunity in front of them; you can't worry about what's happened in the past. He's got as good an attitude as anyone on the team. We're glad DP is here. He's going to be a big part of what we're doing. He's working his ass off so far, which is great to see.""

Now, Caserio selected Pierce in the 2022 NFL Draft, so it's not surprising to hear him say he's backing his player. If Pierce excels, Caserio looks better. It's not complicated to think. Plus, as a leader of a team, the last thing you're going to do is cut down one of your own, so Caserio was likely to never downplay Pierce.

Does that mean that Pierce is sticking around, however? Conventional wisdom suggests yes. While the Texans did take a running back in the draft in Jawhar Jordan, he's older than Pierce (25) and is seen as a return man. He may take the top job if he can showcase his talents, but the Texans seem intent on going into the season with Mixon at the RB1 spot and Pierce at the RB2 spot.

Sure, things can change, but they don't seem likely to, at least not any time soon.