Just one day after the Philadelphia Eagles fan base learned of running back A.J. Dillon signing with the Carolina Panthers, Philly responded with a new player to join their backfield.
The Eagles announced that they have signed running back Dameon Pierce on a one-year deal. Pierce spent last season with the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs after being a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Texans.
During his four-year career, Pierce has rushed for 1,684 yards and eight touchdowns in 43 games. He only had 36 yards in five games last season.
Eagles have signed running back Dameon Pierce
The addition of Pierce is interesting, especially since the Eagles are already rock solid at running back. Saquon Barkley is clearly the main guy, but the backfield is filled with good talent between Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley. Bigsby became the backup full-time after Shipley's injury and Dillon's struggles in Week 6 against the New York Giants.
Pierce was the main starter for the Texans in his rookie season as he rushed for 939 yards, but moved into a backup role after that. He's got a good balance between being a speed guy and decent size to run over defenders.
Bigsby most likely still goes in as the favorite to win the backup job, and Shipley has his special teams experience to fall back on. Pierce is going to have a very tough time trying to make the final 53-man roster and will most likely need to outperform Shipley on special teams to get a spot on the roster.
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There is a while before training begins, but the position battle behind Barkley will be interesting to see when July arrives.