Who Should I Start? Dameon Pierce or Khalil Herbert

Monday, August 4, 7:31 PM

Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce (quadriceps) passed his physical for a strained quadriceps and was activated from the Physically Unable to Perform list, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Sports. Pierce looked good while working off to the side at Monday's training camp practice, but now he'll officially be able to rejoin the rest of the team. The 25-year-old could see plenty of reps out of the backfield upon his return, too, with Joe Mixon (ankle, foot) still signed. Pierce will be battling with veteran Nick Chubb and rookie Woody Marks for a role in Houston's backfield in 2025 behind Mixon if he's healthy. He was rarely used when he was healthy in 2024, carrying the ball a career-low 40 times for 293 yards and two touchdowns in 11 regular-season games (no starts). Even if Mixon isn't ready for the start of the regular season, Pierce could be the RB3 in Houston.

Wednesday, March 12, 5:14 PM

The Indianapolis Colts and free-agent running back Khalil Herbert reached an agreement on an undisclosed one-year deal on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Herbert began the 2024 season with the Chicago Bears and had only eight carries for 16 yards and a touchdown in six games before being traded to the Cincinnati Bengals, where he finished with 28 carries for 114 yards and no touchdowns in eight games behind Chase Brown. Now in Indianapolis, the 26-year-old will have a similar backup role to Jonathan Taylor. Because he's unlikely to see much volume unless Taylor misses time with an injury, Herbert will mainly be a handcuff in deeper leagues for those that draft Taylor. The former sixth-rounder (217th overall) by the Bears in 2021 has averaged 4.8 yards per carry on 400 rushing attempts for 1,905 yards and nine TDs in his four years in the NFL.