Photo Credit: Alex Slitz/Getty Images
The Houston Texans defense turned heads last year, finishing among the top 10 units in the NFL. But as far as head coach DeMeco Ryans is concerned, that success belongs to the past. Entering his third season, Ryans is treating 2025 like a blank slate.
“To me, every year I start over,” Ryans said. “So the previous two years, whatever that looks like, it doesn’t matter to me, because every year we have to reinvent ourselves. We have to create and mold and grow to see what the 2025 Texans will look like. Just because the defense has been successful in the past — they’ve done a good job — that doesn’t just guarantee success today.”
Focus Returns to Fundamentals
While Houston’s offense underwent a major shakeup this offseason—including a change at offensive coordinator from Bobby Slowik to Nick Caley—the defense remained largely intact. The only major new addition was safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl last year with six interceptions, tied for third-most in the league.
Some familiar faces also returned, including defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and cornerback Tremon Smith. With continuity across the unit, defensive coordinator Matt Burke leaned heavily into basics during offseason workouts.
“We always like to sort of like reset when we come back in the spring,” Burke said. “I actually put this up in one of the meetings. The three most dangerous words in the vernacular, ‘I got it.’ We always like to start back at the fundamentals and the foundation and then build.”
Mental Preparation the Key to Growth
After Day 1 of training camp, second-year edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. echoed that idea, saying mental sharpness is the priority.
“Everyone making sure they’re locked in on their playbook, making sure they’re locked in on their keys,” Anderson said. “How much are we watching film? The coach has been doing a really good job of taking things day by day, making sure everybody’s locked in on their jobs. What exactly are we doing, asking questions and just quizzing everybody and making sure everybody knows what the job is.”
That discipline showed last season when the Texans defense took over games. In their wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers, they sacked Justin Herbert four times and pressured him on more than half of his dropbacks. They also forced four interceptions.
Across the season, Houston ranked sixth in total yards allowed per game (315) and 14th in scoring defense (21.9 points allowed). They held several top quarterbacks to career-worst performances, including Josh Allen (30% completion rate), Tua Tagovailoa (four turnovers), and Jared Goff (five interceptions).
Dominant Front and Dangerous Secondary
The Texans believe their defensive success starts with the front line. They were tied for fourth in the league in sacks (49), led by Danielle Hunter (12 sacks) and Anderson (11 sacks).
“We know how each other rush now,” Hunter said during minicamp. “The biggest thing is we line up and we have a sense, an idea, of what’s going to happen inside and what’s going to happen on the outside. So, that’s a plus.”
The secondary also looks promising with Gardner-Johnson joining a group that already includes nickelback Jalen Pitre, safety Calen Bullock, and cornerbacks Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter. Both Lassiter and Stingley finished tied for sixth in the league with five interceptions.
“C.J. [is] one piece. He’s a foundational piece to what we’re doing,” Ryans said. “But it’s going to take a collective effort of building that puzzle, putting the work together and everybody collectively coming together to make that puzzle a beautiful, finished product. He’s one piece of it. We all work together the right way, we can have a really good secondary.”
Training Camp Moves to West Virginia
As the Texans look to build on last season and form a new identity, they’re also hitting the road. The team will hold part of training camp in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, where they’ll practice at The Greenbrier Resort before heading to their preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings on August 9.
Even with much of the roster intact, Ryans and the Texans are taking nothing for granted. The goal is to be better than last year—but it all starts with the basics.
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This report used information from ESPN.
