Danny Barrett is unique.
The running backs coach is the only position coach to survive the Bill O’Brien, David Culley, and Lovie Smith eras. Despite the Houston Texans producing just one 1,000-yard back since his 2018 hiring, management has understood Barrett’s unenviable task.
At last the Texans have a bell-cow in Dameon Pierce, and the second-year running back gives Barrett considerable credit in his development as a pass protector.
“Pretty much 85% of it has got to go to coach DB [Barrett],” Pierce told reporters June 6 after organized team activities. “Coach DB makes sure that he spends extra time with not only me, but all of us, making sure that we’re very precise in our pass protections.”
According to Pierce, Barrett has two requirements when it comes to playing for the 61-year-old coach.
Said Pierce: “You’ve got to protect the ball and protect the quarterback, and we’ve been working a lot on both.”
The former 2022 fourth-rounder had a promising rookie campaign with 939 rushing yards and four touchdowns through 13 games, all of which he started. However, Pierce fumbled four times, including in his final game of the season, Week 14 at the Dallas Cowboys.
“I think I had four on the ground, and I’m trying to drop that to zero,” said Pierce. “One is one too many. So, we’ve been working a lot in that aspect, kind of working on a lot of things without the ball. Because he knows everybody in that room is very capable of doing great things with the ball, so, it’s more so what can we do without the ball to help our offense?”
The Texans had Pierce on the field for 64% of the team’s offensive snaps last season. The percentage will increase the more Pierce is able to hone his pass-blocking skills along with the new offense’s commitment to the run.
