Texans RB Dameon Pierce Raves About Coaches DeMeco Ryans, Bobby Slowik

Pierce had a standout rookie year last season, and under new management in Houston, the 23-year old Florida product will look to continue building on his success in year two.

Since the hiring of coach DeMeco Ryans, the Houston Texans have been off to a happy start. 

In just over a month of his hiring, the former 49ers defensive coordinator has earned league-wide honors and brought on several new names as a part of his coaching staff — including the 49ers' passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik.

And with Texans fans excited at his hire and the upcoming season, rising second-year running back Dameon Pierce made clear that the players are as well. 

"Coach Meco [is] a young guy," Pierce told Good Morning Football. "He's eager. He's ready to coach ... as a young player, that's a good sign for me." 

Last season, Pierce was impressive, tallying 939 rushing yards on 220 attempts. He also scored five total touchdowns and an almost-touchdown in week five, which ended as the league's "angry run of the year" at the 2022 NFL honors ceremony.

Bringing home the GOLDEN SCEPTER!

Your Angry Run of the Year winner @IRep229 👑 pic.twitter.com/BlIlZzl81c

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) February 10, 2023

Pierce also dealt with an ankle injury toward the end of the season, which ultimately caused him to miss the final four games for the Texans. 

Because of that, he fell just short of the millennium mark that every running back aims to hit. 

"It's kind of a blessing and a curse," he said. "Of course, I wanted 1,000 yards rushing, but I got sidelined ... [and] it's just making me hungry. It's making me want to go out next year and crush 1,000." 

But knowing their history with successful running backs, like the newly acquired Christian McCaffrey, Pierce is excited to get to work in Ryans and Slowik's offensive system. 

"They come from the 49ers," Pierce said. "That's a great system, especially for the running backs. They [have] good guys coming out of that system. They have a system that just works. If all else fails, run the ball, and I'm all for that." 

Next season, both the Texans' offensive and defensive systems will look different, as they prepare to put the league on blast — especially in the rushing department.

Despite there still being work to be done by Ryans, Slowik and Pierce, nobody in Houston will be surprised if the run-game surges in the 2023-24 season. 

"Everything is going in the right direction," Pierce said. "Rehab is going great, offseason workouts [are] going great and we've all got some fresh air. We're just trying to get this thing rolling." 

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