Dameon Pierce

Dameon Pierce
refer to caption
Pierce with the Houston Texans in 2022
No. 31 – Houston Texans
Position:
Personal information
Born: (2000-02-19) February 19, 2000 (age 24)
Bainbridge, Georgia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Bainbridge
College:Florida (2018–2021)
NFL draft:2022 / round: 4 / pick: 107
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 6, 2024
Rushing yards:1,447
Rushing average:3.8
Rushing touchdowns:7
Receptions:44
Receiving yards:267
Receiving touchdowns:1
Return yards:225
Return touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Dameon Pierce (born February 19, 2000) is an American professional football running back and kickoff returner for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida and was drafted by the Texans in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Early life

Pierce grew up in Bainbridge, Georgia and attended Bainbridge High School.[1] As a senior, he rushed for 2,123 yards and 32 touchdowns.[2] Pierce finished his high school career with 6,779 rushing yards and 92 total touchdowns scored.[3] He was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Florida over offers from Alabama, Florida State, Miami (FL), Georgia, South Carolina, and Auburn.[4]

College career

Pierce rushed for 424 yards and two touchdowns on 69 carries in his freshman season.[5] As a sophomore, he rushed 305 yards and four touchdowns.[6] Pierce also played on special teams during his first two seasons.[7] As a junior, he led the Gators with 503 rushing yards and four touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 156 yards and one touchdown.[8] Pierce gained 574 yards and scored 13 touchdowns on 100 carries and also caught 19 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns in his senior season.[9]

College statistics

Year G Rushing Receiving
Att Yds Avg TD Rec Yds Avg TD
2018 11 69 424 6.1 2 5 20 4.0 1
2019 12 54 305 5.6 4 4 30 7.5 0
2020 12 106 503 4.7 4 17 156 9.2 1
2021 13 100 574 5.7 13 19 216 11.4 3
Career 48 329 1,806 5.5 23 45 422 9.4 5

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+5⁄8 in
(1.77 m) 		235 lb
(107 kg) 		30+3⁄4 in
(0.78 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.59 s 1.58 s 2.61 s 4.40 s 7.32 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)		 9 ft 11 in
(3.02 m)		 28 reps
Sources:[10][11]

2022

Pierce was selected by the Houston Texans with the 107th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft, using one of the selections acquired in the Deshaun Watson trade.[12] After final roster cuts, Pierce was named the first-string running back for the 2022 season.[13]

Pierce made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. He had 11 carries for 33 rushing yards in the 20–20 tie.[14] In Week 3, against the Chicago Bears, he scored his first professional touchdown on a one-yard rush.[15] The following week, against the Los Angeles Chargers, Pierce broke out with 14 carries for 131 yards and one touchdown, which was a 75-yard rush.[16] In Week 9, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 27 carries for 139 rushing yards in the 29–17 loss.[17] His season was cut short by an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of week 13 against the Dallas Cowboys.[18] He finished his rookie season with 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns, along with 30 catches for 165 yards and one touchdown through 13 games and starts.[19]

2023

Due to struggles in 2023, Pierce lost the first-string running back job to Devin Singletary. On December 24, 2023, Pierce returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns in the 36-22 loss.[20] Pierce finished the season with only 416 rushing yards averaging 2.8 yards per carry, along with only two touchdowns, both down from his rookie season. Pierce also had 13 catches for 101 yards, and no touchdowns.[21]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Legend
Led the League
Bold Career High
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Kick Returns Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2022 HOU 13 13 220 939 4.3 75T 4 30 165 5.5 16 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 2
2023 HOU 14 7 145 416 2.9 22 2 13 101 7.8 27 0 7 225 32.1 98T 1 0 0
2024 HOU 1 0 3 16 5.3 9 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0
Career 28 20 368 1,371 3.7 75T 6 43 266 6.2 27 1 7 225 32.1 98T 1 4 2

Postseason

Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Kick Returns Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2023 HOU 2 0 3 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 17 17.0 17 0 1 0
Career 2 0 3 0 0.0 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 17 17.0 17 0 1 0

References

  1. ^ Weiszer, Marc (October 25, 2018). "Bainbridge has reason to root for two favorite sons in Georgia-Florida game". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  2. ^ McMullen, Morgan (November 21, 2018). "UF tailback Dameon Pierce emerges as playmaker for Gators". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  3. ^ McPherson, Jordan (December 18, 2017). "Signee 101: Get to know 4-star Florida RB Dameon Pierce". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "Gators land another top prospect in RB Dameon Pierce of Bainbridge (Ga.)". Orlando Sentinel. August 7, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  5. ^ Abolverdi, Zach (January 2, 2020). "Pierce set to take over for Perine at running back for the Gators". Lake City Reporter. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  6. ^ Franciulli, Jacquie (January 10, 2020). "Gators running back Dameon Pierce ready to step up as leader". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Sikkema, Trevor (December 13, 2021). "Florida Gators RB Dameon Pierce's college journey has him knocking on the NFL's door". Pro Football Focus. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Abolverdi, Zach (February 23, 2021). "Pierce embracing leadership role, expects all five backs to play". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  9. ^ Wells, Kevin (January 11, 2022). "Gator running back Dameon Pierce to enter NFL draft". WCJB.com. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  10. ^ "Dameon Pierce Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dameon Pierce, Florida, RB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  12. ^ Pinson, Chris (April 30, 2022). "Florida RB Dameon Pierce selected in 4th round by Houston Texans of NFL Draft". wjcb.com. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  13. ^ "Named Texans' RB1, Dameon Pierce says, 'It's a blessing'". click2houston.com. September 8, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  14. ^ "Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans - September 11th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  15. ^ "Houston Texans at Chicago Bears - September 25th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  16. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans - October 2nd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  17. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Texans - November 3rd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Lane, Mark (December 20, 2022). "Texans coach Lovie Smith says RB Dameon Pierce 'was everything we'd hoped for'". Texans Wire. USA Today. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  19. ^ "Dameon Pierce 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
  20. ^ Thompson, Cole (December 24, 2023). "Watch: Texans RB Dameon Pierce Gets Huge Kick Return TD vs. Browns". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  21. ^ "Dameon Pierce 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.