The Houston Texans have finalized their roster and practice squad heading into the regular season and made some bold moves. The team made a shocking move by cutting veteran corner Desmond King. While adding another offensive lineman from the Steelers, Kendrick Green, for a 2025 sixth-round pick.
The Texans and head coach DeMeco Ryans look to plug in the missing pieces after placing former first-round selection Kenyon Green on IR Tuesday and also seeing second-round standout guard/center Juice Scruggs go down with a hamstring injury in the Texans' final preseason game.
There's a lot to like about this roster with the mix of young stars and eager veterans to prove their worth. This team has a lot of energy, chemistry, and heart and is ready to prove their worth in this very much winnable division. With that being said here are five boom or bust players going into to the 2023 season.
Boom: Dameon Pierce
Dameon Pierce is going into year two with a chip on his shoulder after a fantastic rookie season where he ran for 939 yards and four touchdowns on 4.3 yards per attempt. The offensive line will take a step back this season but Pierce will have a more diverse role this season as the Texans will hopefuly use him more in the run and pass game.
The Texans have confirmed they will be giving Pierce more of a "Christian McCaffrey" role. Pierce has it all strength, speed, agility, and intelligence. Pierce reads gaps well and explodes through holes quickly and efficiently. He'll have more help from the passing game this season with a loaded consistent and young core.
Pierce was RB#12 at the end of last season and had the highest missed tackle rate of all running backs in the league with at least 100 carries (28%). Other notable rankings include number nine in yards after contact and PFF rush grade and number nineteen in target grade. I think he's easily an RB2 in fantasy football with the upside to becoming a RB1.