Dameon Pierce was once considered the Houston Texans’ prime running back. He was arguably the team’s best offensive weapon during their 3-13-1 record during the 2022 season.

If not for an ankle injury that forced him to miss the final four games, the former Florida prospect would have ended his rookie season with over 1,000 yards in rushing —finishing the season with 939 yards on 220 attempts and four touchdowns.

But as he prepares for his third season with the franchise , Pierce is no longer at the top of the Texans’ depth chart. His subpar play in 2023 led the Texans to rely on Devin Singletary as the starter. In March, Houston sent a 2024 seventh-round selection to the Cincinnati Bengals for Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon. A month later, the Texans added running back Jawhar Jordan from Louisville during the 2024 NFL Draft.

Pierce’s role with the Texans appeared bleak after Houston revamped its offensive backfield. Yet, seven days into training camp, Pierce has secured a backup role while competing at the Houston Methodist Training Center.

“Up to this point in camp, I’m not satisfied about last year, but I can’t let last year affect this year,” Pierce said. “Last year, it’s balled up and thrown away. It’s always noted, everything is forever noted. I’ve always got to keep it in the memory bank. But last year I just look at things I did wrong and try to fix everything I did wrong and carry over to this year and add on that and compound on that.”

“I feel good and I’m in a great spot right now mentally and most of that goes to my inner circle, like I mentioned before and I’ve got teammates supporting me, I’ve got coaches supporting me and I’m just glad to be a Houston Texan.”

Pierce began his career with the Texans as a fourth-round pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has since appeared in 27 games, rushing for 1,355 yards and six touchdowns on 365 attempts. In 2023, Pierce finished with 416 yards and two touchdowns across 14 games.