Texans RB Dameon Pierce: Studying To Be 'Next Christian McCaffrey'?
HOUSTON — When the Houston Texans fell 27-23 to the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 11, veteran tight end Dalton Schultz left AT&T Stadium impressed with then-rookie running back Dameon Pierce.
He finished the Week 14 contest with 78 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown before going down with a season-ending foot injury in the fourth quarter.
"That kid can run hard," Schultz said. "I remember coming out of the game last year I was like ‘damn who is this 31 kid? He is just gashing us.’"
Pierce had a premature end to a promising rookie season. He came 61 yards shy of rushing for 1,000. He finished the 2022 season with 939 yards on 220 attempts and four touchdowns in 13 games played.
But the early end to his first season gave Pierce an opportunity to focus on enhancing his on-field attributes beyond the run game.
Running backs coach Danny Barrett raved about the improvements Pierce has made to his pass protection during OTAs. But the second-year running back intends to get more involved in Houston's offense as a pass-catcher and has spent the off-season studying San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey.
"The more ways I can get the ball, the better," Pierce said. "Christian McCaffrey, he thrived last year in the league, in his offense he’s just getting out of the backfield, getting in the flat, catching hitches or whatever the case may be. There are multiple ways to get a running back the ball."
For Pierce to Focus on improving his skill set as a pass-catcher isn't a surprise after Bobby Slowik took over as the Texans' new offensive coordinator.
McCaffrey had long established himself as one of the top versatile backs since his days with the Carolina Panthers. But his pass-catching abilities took another step after playing half the season under coach Kyle Shanahan and Slowik, who served as the 49ers' passing-game coordinator last season.
He caught 52 balls for 464 yards with four touchdowns in six games with the 49ers. McCaffrey's play in San Francisco marked his best season as a pass-catching running back since he recorded a career-high 1,005 reception yards in 2019.
"Christian McCaffrey is the first guy who comes to mind because that’s just his game," Pierce said. "That was his game in – it just really exemplifies ‘Slo’s’ [Bobby Slowik’s] offense. More specially, his cut-ups with the option routes, the angles, the whip routes. I’m not going to say too much because I don’t want to spill the beans too much."
Slowik will replicate the 49ers' offensive success in Houston, and his scheme will help improve the on-field production of Pierce.
Pierce had modest success in the passing game as a rookie, as he caught 30 balls for 165 yards. But learning from Slowik while studying from McCaffrey will enhance Pierce's ability to be utilized in the passing game, which would make the second-year prospect more impressive in the eyes of Schultz.
"He is a great player, full of energy, a ball of energy," Schultz said. "He carries himself like a vet. Having him kind of be at the head of the running back room, I think is big time heading forward."
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