The Philadelphia Eagles are taking a chance on a talented running back who could end up being a key piece of their offense in 2026 — and a player who could serve as a valuable backup to 2024 NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley.
“Eagles agreed to terms on a one-year deal with RB Dameon Pierce,” The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane wrote on his official X account on Thursday. “Pierce saw his playing time and production decrease rapidly following a rookie season with the Texans in which he rushed for 939 yards. He lost his starting spot in his second season and fell down the depth chart and eventually out of Houston last season. He was last on the Chiefs practice squad. Pierce is only 25, though, and still seemingly has enough tread on the tires for the Eagles kick.”
Pierce was a 4th round pick (No. 107 overall) out of Florida in the 2022 NFL draft by the Houston Texans and had over 1,100 all-purpose yards as a rookie — including 939 rushing yards — but saw his numbers decrease each year since then.
The Texans ultimately parted ways with Pierce late in the 2025 season, and he finished the year with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The real impact for Pierce might not just be backing up Barkley.
“Should have also mentioned Pierce’s kick returning, which could be what the Eagles envision him doing the most,” McLane wrote. “He doesn’t have a lot of returns in the NFL, but when he did, he had some long runs, including a 98-yard TD in 2023. Kickoffs have changed, but Pierce could be an option next season.”
“It sucks.” He said he’s ready to do whatever his new team wants.
When asked about possibly returning kicks in Philly:
“Not sure it was talked about directly, but it’s always on the
Untapped Potential for Pierce in College
Perhaps the defining aspect of Pierce’s career, to this point at least, is untapped potential.
In 4 seasons at Florida, Pierce never rushed for over 600 yards in a single season, registering a career-high 574 rushing yards in his final season in 2021.
What Pierce did have a knack for in college was finding his way to the end zone. In 4 seasons, he scored 28 touchdowns, including 16 total touchdowns as a senior in 2021.
The fact that the Texans still drafted Pierce in the 4th round after he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds at the NFL scouting combine was an interesting twist and seemed more owed to the ineptness of the Florida coaching staff when he was there.
“It’s a fun afternoon of tape study watching Pierce play the game like a coiled spring ready to explode on each snap,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in 2022. “He’s an urgent runner with twitchy downfield burst, tackle-breaking leg drive and outstanding balance through contact. He reads and reacts to block development quickly and creates additional yardage with both power and subtle shiftiness. Pierce was highly productive (16 total touchdowns) in 2021 despite an embarrassingly low usage rate by the coaching staff. He has plenty of tread left on the tires and fits into any run-blocking scheme as a quality future starter or member of a RB tandem.”
Gradually Reduced Role With Texans
Pierce led the Texans in rushing as a rookie but lost his starting spot to rookie Devin Singletary in 2023, then took a backseat to Joe Mixon in 2024 as Mixon rushed for over 1,000 yards.
He couldn’t get another shot to crack the lineup in 2025 as he only played in a total of 5 regular-season games between the Texans and Chiefs.
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