Lovie Smith says he hasn't yet any update on Dameon Pierce's ankle injury and whether he can play this week. "It will take an awful lot for him not to play." Hopes it's short-term. "We'll see."

Related Players: Eno Benjamin, Rex Burkhead

Pierce has been one of the lone bright spots on the entire Texans team, and even he has slowed down as the year has gone along. You would need to be in a very desperate spot to need to start either Eno Benjamin or Rex Burkhead in the case that the rookie misses Week 15.

A new back in Houston: Texans claimed former Cardinals’ RB Eno Benjamin on waivers, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Jason Rosenhaus.

Related players: Dameon Pierce, Rex Burkhead

Benjamin will eventually battle Burkhead for the team's RB2 role this year and perhaps going forward. Pierce's role should be relatively safe with Benjamin maybe stealing some carries. Since Sept. 25, Pierce has had 20 or more carries four times, including 26 times vs. the Jags and 27 times vs. the Eagles. Benjamin should have more of a role in the passing game where he may cut into Burkhead's role.

Lovie Smith on rookie RB Dameon Pierce: "We as a football team need to finish (better). I haven't said that an awful lot to Dameon. He finishes plays."

Related players: Rex Burkhead

Lovie went on to say, "(He's) what we want to be. Toughness. Extra effort. All those things you talk about is exactly what we see from him." The Texans were able to stay in the game vs. the Broncos last week and keep things close, so Pierce had a 15-69-0 line and also added a catch for eight yards. Burkhead didn't get a carry in Week 2 so the hope is Pierce's workload continues to trend this way, perhaps with even more work in the passing game.

Going forward the Texans want to increase Dameon Pierce’s workload following an impressive preseason from the fourth-round draft pick from Florida.

“Some of the other things we did in the game, looking on the offensive side of the football, I understand how many plays Dameon Pierce played,” Texans coach Lovie Smith said Monday. “The plan of course was for him to get more. You get into the game and situations make you go a little bit different direction. You learn from those mistakes like that, mistakes of those situations that you look at the day after.”

Related players: Rex Burkhead

As the story said, Pierce wound up playing just 29% of the 70 offensive snaps, 20 plays overall, during a 20-20 tie. He rushed for just 33 yards on 11 carries with one catch for six yards and didn’t play in overtime as veteran backup Burkhead got stuffed for a loss of two yards on a pivotal 3rd-and-1 leading up to a punt decision that led to the tie. Burkhead played 71 percent of the snaps, 50 plays overall, and he rushed for 40 yards on 14 carries with five catches for 30 yards.

Texans Week 1 Depth Chart vs Colts: Dameon Pierce of course listed as RB1.

No surprise here. Pierce is a downhill runner and has looked good all through camp. Pierce is listed on our rankings at 31st for the season, making him a mid-RB3 option. He should be heavily involved in what isn't expected to be a great offense. And, he may take some time to trust in typical fantasy leagues. Rex Burkhead will likely steal some work as well.

Texans currently have a running back room of Dameon Pierce, Rex Burkhead, and Dare Ogunbowale.

Related players: Royce Freeman, Marlon Mack

The team will have to make at least one more move for a back, one would think. Those who follow the team said Freeman outplayed Mack in camp and they just signed Mack back to the practice squad today. Ogunbowale could be a sneaky RB on the Texans should he survive and remain the team's RB3. Pierce, the rookie, looks to have a clear path as the RB1 this season.

Running back Marlon Mack, released Tuesday, is planning to re-sign with the Texans’ practice squad.

Related players: Dameon Pierce, Rex Burkhead, Dare Ogunbowale, Royce Freeman

Pierce is poised to take over the lead role for the Texans with Burkhead the likely compliment. Those who follow the team said Freeman just had a better camp than Mack, so Mack appears buried on the depth chart for now.

Marlon Mack getting cut doesn't change Dameon Pierce's outlook at all.

Related players: Royce Freeman, Rex Burkhead, Dare Ogunbowale

The point was it doesn't change Pierce possible RB1 status because Mack got out-played by Royce Freeman this preseason. The tweet went on to say what remains to be seen is how much Burkhead plays on passing downs when the Texans are trailing.

For the preseason opener against the Saints, the Texans’ depth chart at running back went like this: Marlon Mack, Rex Burkhead, Dameon Pierce.

On Wednesday, coach Lovie Smith was asked to identify what he’s looking for when determining the regular-season starter.

“I think you let guys play,” Smith told reporters. “They kind of tell you who should start, who should be on the roster, how many plays they should get. 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."

Reports this week have said it's only a matter of time before the rookie Pierce takes over the starting role. Of course, the team could utilize all three backs and split carries. For what it's worth, we rank Pierce 42nd overall, but tops among the Texan RBs. We think it's only a matter of time before he takes over the top spot, too.

RB Marlon Mack signed with Houston in the offseason and projects to be near the top of the running back depth chart alongside Rex Burkhead. He was brought in because of his success in five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. "Marlon has been a productive player in the league and we look at his best years he's had," Smith said after Wednesday's OTA. "Sometimes you need a change, change of scenery, a new team."

"I know he's fit in well with our group," Smith said. "We feel like we have a plan for him and we like the running back position, not just him."

Related Players: Dare Ogunbowale, Royce Freeman, Darius Anderson, Dameon Pierce

Mack has more production than any back not named Burkhead on the Texans roster and has been positively boasted by Lovie Smith. That is Smith's M.O. and is not a coach that pulls punches when lifting his players. Mack can be an interesting late-round pick with 15-carry upside on a team looking for consistency at the running back position.