Dameon Pierce’s time in Houston has finally come to an end.
The Texans waived the fourth-year running back hours before Thursday’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills, in order to make room on the active roster for several other players.
Pierce, who led the Texans with 936 yards in 2022 during his rookie season, was expected to be the No. 2 back behind Nick Chubb. Sadly, a prolonged injury limited his success in the preseason, thus moving him down to the No. 3 spot and eventually making him a permanent inactive on Sunday.
After a breakout rookie season, Pierce steadily declined as a player, seeing his rushing totals and yards per play diminish. Last season, he moved full-time to the backup role behind Pro Bowler Joe Mixon and rarely saw action, mixing in reps with Dare Ogunbowale.
Last season, Pierce did see action on special teams, mostly returning kicks. With the arrival of rookie Jaylin Noel, defensive back Tremon Smith and All-Pro returner Braxton Berrios, his role was limited to eventually obsolete.
As corresponding moves for Thursday’s game, the Texans signed defensive back Ajani Carter from the practice squad to the active roster. For Thursday night, Houston will elevate safety Jalen Mills and linebacker Jackson Woodard.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. on Amazon Prime.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: RB Dameon Pierce waived before Thursday Night Football
