Houston Texans Running Backs: Joe Mixon vs. Dameon Pierce
The Houston Texans saw their window under C.J. Stroud was open and acted accordingly this offseason. The team made a pair of big moves for veteran presence on offense. First, the team acquired Joe Mixon from the Cincinnati Bengals, following up with a trade for Stefon Diggs. While both players will be in timeshare roles with the Texans, monitoring Mixon's usage relative to Dameon Pierce deserves the closest attention.
With seven years of experience and entering his age 28 season, Mixon's nearing the end of his shelf life as a lead back. After a more subdued 2022 campaign, the former second-round pick bounced back with 1,034 rushing yards last season. That modest improvement was anticipated, but Pierce is poised for a similar correction in 2024.
Pierce burst onto the scene in his rookie season, compiling 939 rushing yards in 13 games; however, regression hit hard in 2023. Pierce managed just 416 yards in his second professional season, giving way to Devin Singletary as the starter after a three-week hiatus due to injury.
If Pierce responds as expected, we should see a substantive increase in his rushing metrics in 2024. As such, Mixon's tenure as the lead back could be short-lived.
