Dameon Pierce was absent during Wednesday's practice at the Houston Methodist Training Center. Houston Texans' coach DeMeco Ryans did not provide an explanation for his absence but revealed that the team will assess Pierce's undisclosed situation throughout the rest of the week.
The 2023 season has been a down year for Pierce. Through the first seven games, Pierce has rushed for 327 yards on 109 carries with one touchdown.
The Texans' Week 4 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers marked the only game Pierce displayed flashes of the player from his rookie season, where he finished the game with 81 yards on 24 carries. If not for a season-ending ankle injury, Pierce would have finished his rookie year rushing for over 1,000 yards during the 2022 season.
"We will see where Dameon is throughout the rest of the week," Ryans said. "We will see where he ends up."
Devin Singletary will receive his first start if Pierce misses Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But whether Pierce takes the field at NRG Stadium for the Week 9 contest, the Texans will continue their running back by committee scheme with the production of Mike Boone, who helped Houston's rushing attack during their 15-13 victory against the Carolina Panthers.
"Our run game has just been a complement of different guys getting opportunities," Ryans said. "Boone had a couple runs in there. He had a really big third down conversion for us on the check-down, converting that to a first down, so he’s done some nice things. All three guys have done nice things when it comes to the running back position."
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