The Houston Texans running back room is getting terribly crowded

The Houston Texans backfield could be radically different from the 2023 version. They've added names like Joe Mixon and Cam Akers while drafting Jawhar Jordan out of Louisville. They're all set to share a backfield with 2022 Texans draft pick Dameon Pierce and 29-year-old Dare Ogunbowale. Those latter two names were the only two men to receiver carries on last year's team who carried over to 2024.

The team's former lead-leading rusher, Devin Singletary, is now in New York, suiting up for the Giants. Likely, guys like Ogunbowale will also be on their way to new homes by the end of training camp, as it's very likely that Mixon and Jawhar take two of the spots on the team. As there are normally only three running backs on NFL teams, everyone will likely be competing for the third spot.

Pierce is the most likely name to secure the spot, but Akers is someone that the Texans have high hopes for. As they just signed Mixon to a new deal, and Jawhar is on a cheap contract, if someone has to go it's likely either Pierce or Akers.

That has a lot of people expecting, dare one say, downright predicting a Pierce trade. Countless fandoms and writers from around the league are eying Pierce as a potential trade target. The most likely of scenarios if Akers is still able to tap into the skillset that made him a Super Bowl winner. Yet, the idea that Pierce is all but traded needs to be paused some.

Akers isn't on the team to push Pierce out. More than likely he's on the team to cause Pierce to be his best self. After all, Pierce was bad last season. That may be due to the offensive line, but Singletary was able to put up some career-best numbers behind the same line that Pierce struggled behind.

So likely, we have Akers in Houston to see which year Pierce has had is a fluke. Year one, where Pierce was showing signs of being the featured back for years to come. Or year two, where Pierce struggled to make any impact at all. One of those years was an outlier, but which one?

Akers is here to prove that. If Akers does take the second spot away from Pierce, then we know that Pierce wasn't what was advertised. Assuming that's the case, then who knows who'd want Pierce, if anybody. So either way, it's unlikely that the Texans trade Pierce, or at the very least, that they get much back for him.

If he can't beat out Akers, then it's a clear sign that Pierce was never that guy.