Lovie Smith has a straightforward approach to determining who will be the starting running back for the Houston Texans in 2022.
“I think you let guys play,” Smith told reporters on Aug. 17.
The Texans have five running backs on the roster in Rex Burkhead, Marlon Mack, rookie Dameon Pierce, Dare Ogunbowale, and Royce Freeman, but the top three truly are the only ones vying for the starting job.
“They kind of tell you who should start, who should be on the roster, how many plays they should get,” Smith said. “We’ve been going through training camp, practice, we’ve seen a lot, but to see guys finish, I thought that was a big game.”
In the 17-13 win over the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 13 at NRG Stadium, Pierce was the talk of the backfield as he generated 49 yards on five carries. Even with his initial 20-yard run taken out of the equation, the rookie from Florida tallied 7.25 yards per carry — a tantalizing preview for Texans fans who had to watch their team average 3.4 yards per carry and 83.6 rushing yards per game last year.
Said Smith: “Of course, we talked a lot about Dameon. Then you have history a little bit, too, on what we’ve seen from some of the veteran players. It’s good competition there. They all have a certain strength, and we’ll let it play out.”
The running back competition will continue to play out as the Texans face the Los Angeles Rams Friday night at SoFi Stadium.
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