'He Gets Downhill Fast': Texans' Dameon Pierce Praised By Ex Pro Bowler

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce received praise from a former AFC South star.

Houston Texans fans know as well as anyone how productive of a running back Fred Taylor was during his 13-year career, the bulk of which was spent with the division-rival Jacksonville Jaguars.

So when Taylor -- who rushed for over 11,600 yards in his career -- praises a Texans running back, it forces your ears to perk up. 

On the latest episode of The Pivot Podcast, Taylor raved about second-year running back Dameon Pierce, after the show attended Houston's Training Camp. 

"He gets downhill fast,” Taylor remarked about Pierce. “He doesn’t waste a lot of time going sideways. His speed is deceptive. Once he gets out in the open, he seems to run away from a lot of people.”

A fourth-round pick in 2022, Pierce generated quite a bit of buzz last summer, to the point where he became the team's primary running back in his rookie season. For all that went wrong for the Texans a season ago, Pierce was one of the few bright spots, rushing for 939 yards, while averaging 4.3 yards per carry. 

Taylor's first exposure to Pierce didn't come in his rookie NFL season, however. The former Florida Gator had seen Pierce's collegiate career, which came at his alma mater. And he says that Pierce has proven to be a better player at the NFL than he was in college, where he ran for 1,806 yards in four seasons. 

“Even when I watched him play at Florida, they were by committee a lot of time, so we didn’t get a chance to really see him when others got most of the reps,” Taylor said. “So, when he got to the league, he turned into a whole different player. Most guys are built for the pro-style, and he has proved to be one of them.”

In a loaded AFC, the Texans are still very unlikely to compete for a playoff spot in 2023. But the hope is that Pierce will take another step forward in his second season, helping new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik to alleviate some of the pressure on rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. 

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