John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
As soon as the Texans closed their 3-1 preseason with a 17-15 victory over the Rams, there was more speculation about the running backs than any position on the roster that must be reduced to 53 on Tuesday afternoon.
As it stands today, not much seems certain about Head Coach DeMeco Ryans' backfield. Joe Mixon, who didn't play in preseason, is solidly entrenched as the starter. After that, there are a lot of players who have worked hard to show they belong. But there are only so many spots on a NFL roster.
So where does this leave Dameon Pierce, Cam Akers, veterans Dare Ogunbowale and J.J. Taylor and rookies Jawhar Jordan and British Brooks?
Ryans and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik would like to keep them all, but that's not feasible, of course. Tough decisions have to be made for a team that wants to run more productively and consistently when the Texans start regular season on Sept. 8 at Indianapolis.
"I love that it's tough to make these decisions because that means you have a good team," Ryans said after the Rams' game. "When it's not set, you still have decisions to make, and that's how it should be."
Before we analyze Akers' contributions to the offense, let's check out Pierce since he's getting so much attention from fans and media. Last year, Pierce worked as hard as he always does but struggled to adjust to Slowik's system that relies heavily on outside-zone runs. In three preseason games this year, Pierce gained 9 yards on eight carries.
When Ryans was asked about Pierce not suiting up for Saturday's game, he said, "I didn't play Dameon because I've seen enough from Dameon in practice and everything. I've had a good look at Dameon."
Okay, let's move on to Akers, the biggest surprise of preseason. He turned 25 two months ago, and he's entering his fifth season and has rebounded from two ruptured Achilles tendons that required surgery in 2021 with the Rams and last year with the Vikings.
Akers, the Rams' second-round pick in 2020 who's 5-10, 217, led the Texans in rushing in preseason with 24 carries for 112 yards, a 4.7-yard average. In Saturday's victory over his former team, he carried seven times for 53 yards, a 7.6 average. He had runs of 10, 14 and 23 yards. On one run, he put spin moves on defenders three times, and the crowd went wild.
He has benefitted from his familiarity running in the outside zone scheme during his time with the Rams and Vikings and has improved every week since signing on July 22.
"Cam has done a really nice job since we got him," Ryans said after the Rams' game. "Everyone sees when he gets the ball in his hands he's able to make defenders miss and able to continue to press forward and make plays. It's exciting, and it's tough."
Because of the way Akers has practiced and played since signing with the Texans, Ryans has been getting a lot of questions about him from the media.
"We know he's done it," Ryans said last week. "I've gone against Cam a lot (when Ryans coached at San Francisco), and I've seen the plays he's been able to make, so is he surprising me? No, he's not surprising me. It seems like he's getting back into football shape, and he's making plays he made (pre-injuries).
"It's exciting to see him, and it just shows guys (can) maximize their opportunity, and he's a guy who's taken advantage of that. He picked up things very quickly, and he's very sharp mentally. That's allowed him to step in and really showcase his talents. The biggest thing with him is making guys miss, and Cam has a savvy way of doing that."
The offensive coaches want to see explosive plays on their side of the ball. They'll get them with quarterback C.J. Stroud and his receivers, but they'd also like to get explosive plays in the running game. That's one reason they traded for Mixon, and now Akers has shown the kind of explosiveness he had coming out of Florida State.
"I think it's easy to see in preseason games – the way he's made plays," Slowik said recently about Akers' potential. "He's made people miss in space. It's easy to see Cam is familiar with the outside zone scheme. They (Rams and Vikings) did something pretty similar to what we do.
"Not a lot of conversation with him has to take place with how to run zone in general. (If) we have to talk about other run schemes, we do. We run gap (and) a lot of other stuff he's had to adjust to a little, but he wants to know it all. He's thirsty for knowledge, always asking questions. He wants to make sure when we put him in, he's doing the right thing. He really wants to do anything he can to help us."
Now, looking at the backs besides Mixon, Akers and Pierce, the coaches and players love Ogunbowale because he excels on special teams, adapted well to the system, can be an emergency kicker and has a tremendous work ethic. Taylor, a three-year veteran who has flashed in camp and preseason, could be the odd man out among the veterans.
Of the two rookies – Jordan and Brooks – one could be signed to the practice squad if he clears waivers. Jordan was a draft choice who's been impressive in camp and finished second in preseason with 55 yards rushing. Brooks signed as an undrafted free agent. At 225 pounds, he's a physical runner who'll play any role the coaches want. He's also been used at fullback and H-back as the coaches try to find a spot for him.
As Caserio and Ryans reduce the roster, they know a lot of their players are going to be pursued by other teams. The Texans have come a long way since Caserio was hired and started to rebuild the organization, a time when other teams only glanced at players he released before turning in other directions.
Times have sure changed. Caserio and Ryans may not like seeing so many of their players on opposing rosters, but they know it's a good problem to have because it's a price of success – the kind of success that could lead to a Super Bowl.
