While Dameon Pierce was pretty awful last year, DeMeco Ryans says to not write him off just yet. Pierce, the coach says, is working hard and looking good, with the Texans thinking about using him as a combo back with Joe Mixon.
"What I have seen from Dameon this offseason is a guy who has put in the work," Ryans said this week, via the Houston Chronicle. "I see Dameon having a very clear headspace as we are out working, and I think that will allow him to have a really productive year this year. He has everything it takes to be a really good running back for us and I think him and Joe as a one-two punch would be very beneficial for us all."
Such talk, of course, is standard fare for this time of year. Sean McDermott earlier in the week was talking about Chase Claypool.
Pierce was a strong Rookie of the Year candidate two years ago, dropping out of the running when he injured his ankle late in the season. But he was a disaster last year, averaging only 2.9 yards per attempt, in part because the team altered its offense. About halfway through the season, they kind of gave up on him, making Devin Singletary their main back.
For the heck of it, I played around with some numbers on this. In the 32-team era, I see 19 other running backs who carried the ball at least 100 times in their second season and averaged 3.5 yards per carry or less. Two of those players didn’t carry the ball at all in their third year, leaving us with 17 to consider.
Of those 17 backs, five in their third season went over 1,000 rushing yards. And nine of them (over half) averaged at least 4.2 yards per attempt. Four of them averaged at least 4.9. So while a lousy YPC average is hardly a selling point, some backs of this ilk have been able to claw their way back to relevance.
In the chart below, the guys with the black dots are those who either ran for 1,000 yards or averaged at least 4.9 per carry. (Darren McFadden did both).
I’m not ready to pull the plug on Pierce just yet. I remember seeing him violently running people over two years ago. I would think he’s got some effective carries left in him. In a general sense, I would call him average in comparison with the league’s other 31 backup tailbacks. In a typical league, I think he should be drafted (most likely by the team investing in Mixon).
| SECOND-YEAR BACKS WITH LOW YPC AVERAGES | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | 3rd season |
| 2013 | Bernard Pierce, Balt. | 152 | 436 | 2.9 | 2 | 93-366-3.9-2 |
| 2023 | Dameon Pierce, Hou. | 145 | 416 | 2.9 | 2 | ?-?-? |
| 2013 | Trent Richardson, 2TM | 188 | 563 | 3.0 | 3 | 159-519-3.3-3 |
| 2016 | • Todd Gurley, LAR | 278 | 885 | 3.2 | 6 | 279-1305-4.7-13 |
| 2016 | Thomas Rawls, Sea. | 109 | 349 | 3.2 | 3 | 58-157-2.7-0 |
| 2001 | Maurice Smith, Atl. | 237 | 760 | 3.2 | 5 | 0-0-0 |
| 2014 | • Andre Ellington, Ari. | 201 | 660 | 3.3 | 3 | 45-289-6.4-3 |
| 2018 | • Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 133 | 439 | 3.3 | 5 | 265-1152-4.4-3 |
| 2006 | Cedric Houston, NYJ | 113 | 374 | 3.3 | 5 | DNP |
| 2020 | Benny Snell, Pitt. | 111 | 368 | 3.3 | 4 | 36-98-2.7-0 |
| 2009 | • Steve Slaton, Hou. | 131 | 437 | 3.3 | 3 | 19-93-4.9-0 |
| 2002 | • Anthony Thomas, Chi. | 214 | 721 | 3.4 | 6 | 244-1024-4.2-6 |
| 2001 | Thomas Jones, Ari. | 112 | 380 | 3.4 | 5 | 138-511-3.7-2 |
| 2010 | • Beanie Wells, Ari. | 116 | 397 | 3.4 | 2 | 245-1047-4.3-10 |
| 2009 | •• Darren McFadden, Oak. | 104 | 357 | 3.4 | 1 | 223-1157-5.2-7 |
| 2009 | Kevin Smith, Det. | 217 | 747 | 3.4 | 4 | 34-133-3.9-0 |
| 2012 | Alex Green, G.B. | 135 | 464 | 3.4 | 0 | 11-35-3.2-0 |
| 2014 | Knile Davis, K.C. | 134 | 463 | 3.5 | 6 | 28-72-2.6-1 |
| 2001 | Jamel White, Cle. | 126 | 443 | 3.5 | 5 | 106-470-4.4-3 |
| 2022 | • Michael Carter, NYJ | 114 | 402 | 3.5 | 3 | 30-187-6.2-0 |
Note: in chart above, you’re seeing only rushing numbers (almost half of these backs also caught touchdowns, but you’re seeing only the TD runs).
—Ian Allan