Texans RB wants to emulate McCaffrey under new OC

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

Texans RB wants to emulate Christian McCaffrey under new OC

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 6/7/23

Houston Texans first-year offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik spent the last four years heavily involved with the San Francisco 49ers offense.

So, it makes sense that Texans running back Dameon Pierce has been studying 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in an effort to ingratiate himself better with Slowik’s offensive system.

“I've got a lot of great guys to look at; most recently, probably Christian McCaffrey,” Pierce said, via NFL.com. “He thrived last year in the league, in his offense he's just getting out of the backfield, getting in the flat, catching hitches or whatever the case may be. There's multiple ways to get a running back the ball. … The more ways I can get the ball, the better, baby. I love that.”

#Texans Dameon Pierce working on his route running and hands pic.twitter.com/DYx8Xjn7Hs
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) May 31, 2023

Dameon Pierce has been working on his receiving game and pass blocking this offseason to become a true 3-down back

pic.twitter.com/fwde7ZOKGn
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) June 6, 2023

While Slowik is perceived as a pass-first coach having spent the last two years as a pass game specialist then pass game coordinator with San Francisco, Pierce described Houston’s new offense as being running back-friendly.

McCaffrey’s 85 receptions were the second-most among running backs last season with 52 of them coming after being traded to the 49ers. He also had 464 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns and 211 total touches with San Francisco.

CJ Stroud to Dameon Pierce pic.twitter.com/xR4swLtpJt
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) May 31, 2023

Pierce rushed for 939 yards and four touchdowns on 220 carries as a rookie last season. While the 23-year-old tailback had 30 receptions in 2022, which ranked 29th among running backs, and he’s sure to see an uptick in his usage out of the backfield with Slowik calling the shots.

"I like the dynamic that coach [Slowik] brings," Pierce said. "He likes to attack the defense in every way possible. If he sees a weakness, he's going to pull that thread until the whole ball of yarn comes loose. He's going to pick at the defense, he's going to put the defense in positions where they have to think, and not where they can react. He likes a lot of movement, he likes a lot of motions, he likes putting us out, you know what I'm saying?"

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