Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio was quite busy over the opening months of the offseason.

In the free agency period and the 2022 NFL Draft, Caserio spent much focus on revamping the team's secondary and offensive line depth. From selecting Derek Stingley Jr. with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft to signing offensive guard A.J. Cann to a free agent deal, he bolstered two positional groups that were in dire need of reinforcements.

Caserio also aimed to revamp the Texans’ running back depth chart, which came after a season where they ranked at 32nd in rushing yards per game with an 83.6 average. He did not go all out to instill new life into the group by trading for a highly touted rusher. Instead, he sided for low-risk, high-reward moves to retool the unit, such as with the signing of Marlon Mack on a one-year contract deal.

For the Texans to see an increase in production on offense, their running backs group will need to lead the way.

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Texans Key Position Group For 2022 NFL Season

As mentioned, not much went the Texans’ way on the ground last year, as they did not have a single player record at least 500 rushing yards. Even as the likes of Mark Ingram and Philip Lindsay were provided with the opportunity to be the team’s every-down back, the group simply failed to balance out the offense for quarterback Davis Mills.

The Texans are set to call on several new running backs this year, including Mack. After a pair of promising 2018 and 2019 campaigns where he tallied a combined 2,184 yards from scrimmage and 18 total touchdowns, injuries ended up ruling him out from a bulk of games in his final two years with the Indianapolis Colts.

From Texans head coach Lovie Smith’s standpoint, a change of scenery could be just what Mack needs at this stage in his career.

“When we look at players, some people are like, let me see the bad plays,” Smith said during Texans’ OTAs in June. “I like to see the good plays. When we are coaching up a guy, let's see his best and Marlon has been a productive player in the league and we look at his best years he's had. Sometimes you need a change, change of scenery, a new team. I know he's fit in well with our group.

“We feel like we have a plan for him and we like the running back position, not just him.”

Houston's offensive coaching staff has not revealed its plans for the running back position in the coming campaign. Nonetheless, all signs point to the team rolling with a running-back-by-committee, which could then mean that former Florida Gators standout Dameon Pierce may be in line to receive a fair share of snaps.

The Texans opted to select Pierce in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Pierce upped his draft stock in his senior season at Florida, where he posted career highs in yards from scrimmage (790) and total touchdowns (16). He showed off his prowess to be a rusher who can not only be relied upon in crucial third down situations but also be one who has what it takes to emerge as a pivotal option in the passing game.

As with Mack, Smith sees much potential in Pierce's ability to help elevate Houston’s production on the ground.

“He is a tough football player, confident football player,” Smith said of Pierce in May. “We feel like we have a role for him.

“You can’t ever have too many good running backs. I think as you look at our running back position, they all bring something a little bit different, little bit unique to the position. I know Pep (Hamilton), Danny Barrett, the rest of our offensive staff are looking forward to seeing how that all plays out. All the guys pretty much that we have in our group have had their moments carrying the football.”

As was the case in the 2021 season, Rex Burkhead is on par to receive crucial snaps on a game-by-game basis, although his set role on this side of the ball is still to be determined by offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. At the least, the Texans have a veteran rusher in Burkhead who can also provide a safety blanket for Mills in the passing attack.

In the big picture, Royce Freeman, Dare Ogunbowale, and Darius Anderson are projected to battle it out to be the Texans' No. 4 running back on their depth chart. While there is still plenty of unknown with the team’s depth at this position, this is a unit that can add another dimension to the Mills-led offense.