Another Kansas City Chiefs game has come and gone without Dameon Pierce taking a single snap. The veteran running back, who was signed to the practice squad following his Houston Texans release in November, was held inactive for the Christmas Day loss to the Denver Broncos, leaving him with only one remaining game to make his Chiefs debut.
Even if he's finally given a chance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18, there's no doubt about it: Pierce's time in Kansas City has been a massive disappointment. Fans went from being eager to see if he could help the ailing RB room to wondering if he'll even see one carry in a Chiefs jersey before the year is over. It's been a colossal failure of a partnership, no matter how you slice it.
And although Pierce's time with the Chiefs might be over soon, his mishandling could leave a lasting impact on the team's upcoming offseason.
Dameon Pierce's Mistreatment Could Impact Chiefs' Offseason
There might be 32 teams and thousands of players in the NFL, but that doesn't stop word from traveling fast. Other veteran players are going to see how the Chiefs wasted Pierce's time following his exit from the Texans, which could make them think twice about signing a contract with Kansas City.
The Chiefs' RB room has struggled to produce results since Week 1, and many fans were hopeful that Pierce would provide the unit with a boost. Instead, Kansas City gave every reason to justify why the former 900-yard runner wasn't being allowed to shine, with the primary reason being that he wasn't caught up on the playbook just yet. Even though some players do need time to adjust to their new surroundings, this situation is frustrating because of the mixed message the team has sent.
On Dec. 4, special teams coordinator Dave Toub told A to Z Sports' Charles Goldman that Pierce "could probably play" but still needed some more time. Six days after that, head coach Andy Reid admitted that the ex-Texan was "still getting acclimated with everything here." Fast forward again to this past Tuesday, when Reid couldn't confirm if the mid-season acquisition would get a chance to play against the Raiders in the regular-season finale.
The Chiefs didn't "owe" Pierce anything, but their failure to dress him for even one game can't be ignored. Kareem Hunt is the only running back whom the Chiefs could consistently trust this season, so it isn't as if there was a logjam preventing Pierce from touching the field. There's just no way that a free agent RB is going to see what he went through and hope that he'll be treated even better, regardless of what Kansas City chooses to do with Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, who are both hitting the open market in March.
And there's a chance that the Chiefs' mistake could bleed into the 2026 season. What happens if the backfield is struggling again and general manager Brett Veach tries to sign another veteran rusher to the practice squad? Chances are they might not be able to attract someone of Pierce's caliber, especially when it's clear that the Chiefs' word can't be as trusted as it once was.
Hopefully, the Chiefs learn from how they fumbled Pierce's stint so that they don't make the same mistake twice. Reid & Co. have worked hard to turn Kansas City into an attractive destination, and the last thing they need is for that goodwill to become undone by developing a reputation of being a team that veterans looking to prove themselves can't trust.
Even the greatest of all time are prone to making mistakes every now and then. The Chiefs screwed up with Pierce, and there's no denying that, leaving time to tell how they'll avoid similar blunders in the future.