Dameon Pierce is back with the Houston Texans.
Pierce, the Texans’ No. 2 running back, passed his physical on Monday, thus prompting the Texans to activate him from the active/PUP list. He was spotted early at practice on Tuesday morning for the start of warm-ups.
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Pierce, who enters the final year of his rookie contract, opened training camp on the PUP list due to what was later determined to be a quad strain. On Monday, Pierce was described as going high speed on the side, thus show the activity was enough for him to pass a physical.
Right now, the Texans are without top back Joe Mixon, who is currently on the active/non-football injury list due to a lingering foot injury suffered earlier in the offseason. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he’s slated to be evaluated again closer to the regular season ahead of Week 1’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
If Mixon’s rehab extended into September, Pierce could be in the mix for first-team snaps Week 1 alongside Nick Chubb and rookie fourth-round pick Woody Marks. Neither running back has made impressive strides with the first-team offense, so a return could benefit Pierce more than anyone else.
Initially viewed as a Texans’ starting-caliber player, Pierce made headlines as a rookie after rushing for a career-high 939 yards and four touchdowns. Since then, he’s been mundane at best, never rushing for more than 420 yards in a season. Pierce has also been a staple on special teams, averaging 37.7 yards per kickoff return for his career.
Last season, he found the end zone twice on two breakaway runs of over 80 yards against the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans.
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The Texans will take on the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium this Saturday at 3 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Report: Texans RB Dameon Pierce activated to practice, clears physical