Following the Texans' loss to the Ravens in the divisional round of the playoffs, Houston GM Nick Caserio spoke about the areas in which the team needs to improve.

If they want to compete with the best teams in January, Caserio believes the Texans need to get better at running the ball, and stopping the run on defense.

Let's not forgot, Caserio was rumored to be selecting RB Breece Hall before the Jets traded right in front of him, and he ended up with Jalen Pitre in the second round of the 2022 draft. So he's not opposed to using significant capital on the position.

When looking at the free agent market, there are several quality running backs that will be available for the right price. Giants RB Saquon Barkley, Raiders' Josh Jacobs, and Titans sledgehammer Derrick Henry.

Currently, Dameon Pierce is the only back on the Texans roster with any experience, so the team will have to address the position in either the draft or free agency. They could certainly re-sign Devin Singletary, but he's going to command significantly more money than last year.

According to draft evaluators, this is not a good draft for running backs. So let's look at the top options on the market in free agency.

While many people will want to stay away from Barkley due to injury concerns, you could argue his injury history is comparable to Christian McCaffrey's.

McCaffrey has been more healthy over the last couple of seasons, but he only played 10 combined games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Barkley has played at least 13 games in every season outside of 2020 and is one year younger than McCaffrey.

Josh Jacobs has his own injury issues as well, but he's played no less than 13 games in every season of his 5-year career.

For this discussion, we're going to avoid Derrick Henry based on his age (30) and usage over his career (2,030 rushing attempts).

When looking at Barkley and Jacobs' numbers, they are pretty close to McCaffrey's. CMC is a good measuring stick because he's arguably the best back in the league, and plays under Kyle Shanahan.

We all know the connection between the 49ers system and the Texans, with former Niners passing game coordinator Bobby Slowik calling Houston's offense. Based on this connection, it wouldn't be a stretch to think Slowik would like to add a high caliber back.

So here's what the numbers tell us, McCaffrey has four 1,000+ rushing yard seasons over his 7-year career. Barkley has three seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards in 6 seasons. Jacobs has three 1,000+ rushing yards seasons as well, but he's only been in the league for 5 seasons.

The point being, Shanahan was willing to roll the dice on an injury prone running back with a big salary and high upside. Would Slowik be willing to do the same with Barkley or Jacobs?

Finally, after a terrific rookie season, Dameon Pierce lost his job to Devin Singletary. Not because he's no longer a good player, but because he's not a good fit for Slowik's system.

Should the Texans consider dealing Pierce for a mid-round pick?

Instead of Pierce being a backup, maybe the Texans could use that pick to draft a player that could help the team more.

Based on his rookie season, Pierce could have value to a team that has a scheme that better suits his strengths.

Don't miss the video above as we weigh the pros and cons of spending big on the free agent market, and much more!