'Tremendous Energy': Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans Impressed with RB Dameon Pierce

Dameon Pierce has made major improvements to his game ahead of his sophomore year, which has coach DeMeco Ryans excited for the 2023 campaign.

HOUSTON — To build off a successful rookie campaign, running back Dameon Pierce has set three objectives during OTA practices at the Houston Methodist Training Center.

His goals were to stack days, stay consistent and get one percent better each passing day. Tuesday marked the Texans' third and final week of OTAs, and coach DeMeco Ryans believes his starting running back has stayed dedicated to his vows before the start of OTAs. 

"Dameon has been consistent all offseason," Ryans said. "He’s been here every day, he’s been upbeat. He brings tremendous energy — not only to our offense but to our entire team. He always has a smile on his face, always working hard, improving on the little things that he has to work on."

Coaches and teammates have raved about Pierce's development since the start of off-season training.

Position coach Danny Barrett and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud have praised Pierce for his pass protection. And after studying All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, Pierce feels the Texans can utilize him beyond his rushing attempts — as he looks to become more involved in the passing game.

Ryans is excited to work with Pierce and believes the 2023 season is going to be an exceptional year. But even after his enhancements, Ryans feels Pierce will benefit from the help he will have in the position group, given the arrival of veteran Devin Singletary and the return of Dare Ogunbowale. 

"Dameon, with his style and what he showed last year in his first year, I think Dameon is only going to get better," Ryans said. "He’s shown that he can carry the load, but we don’t want him to carry the load. We want to help him out to make sure that we have a good complement of players back there."

Wide receiver Nico Collins has enjoyed working alongside Pierce during OTAs while growing simultaneously. Collins said it is easy to tell Pierce has taken the practice field each day with a chip on his shoulders. 

Before his rookie season ended due to a foot injury, Pierce had rushed for 939 yards on 220 carries through the first 13 games. He restored Houston's backfield in his first year. But without his services for the final four games, the Texans rushing attack declined to an averaged of 64.7 yards.

Pierce is confident that his sophomore season will be better than his rookie year after meeting the three objectives he set before the start of OTAs. And his belief coincides with Ryans and all of his teammates.

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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