This might be nuts, but anyone else think he should put on weight and be a TE? He’s clearly not a starting caliber receiver, but his size and speed could make up for it if he bulked up, and could block.
This is just a shot in the dark and general question so please don’t obliterate me in the comments.
Pierce is a developing deep ball receiver. We just don’t happen to have a deep ball quarterback ATM. Peirce has actually done a pretty good job of staying relevant by blocking on wide receiver screens and outside runs.
Changing from wide receiver to TE is a bigger jump than just putting on weight. It’s adding strength, changing your skill set, and adjusting how you approach the game. Just because you can block a 180 pound cornerback doesn’t mean that you can block a 210 pound linebacker.
Pierce needs to get better at winning off the line, achieving leverage on the defensive backs, sitting down in open space versus zone coverage, and expanding his route tree. Those are areas of improvement for him.
He might not ever get to the next level, but if you want a tight end, why not just get a tight end rather than taking a thin guy and trying to convert him?