Though situated in a football state, Houston has had trouble developing as a big market in the NFL.
Whether it was the lack of having a franchise from 1997-2001 or the lack of wins beyond the wild-card round for the Houston Texans since 2002, Space City can’t stay relevant to the rest of the league unless they are winning, which has been difficult to come by since 2019.
As a result, there are some players on the Texans’ roster that get slept on, and one of them is cornerback Derek Stingley, according to former All-Pro cornerback Antonio Cromartie.
Cromartie took time after working out college defensive backs at Ollin Athletics and Sports Medicine to opine about the Texans’ former 2022 No. 3 overall pick.
“Love him, I don’t think he gets enough credit because he’s not in a bigger market,” Cromartie said via Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV. “I think if Sting was in New York, it would be a whole different spiel. I think Stingley had a great rookie season and I think it’s going to be even better as he goes on. The kid is phenomenal.”
The former LSU product had a limited rookie season with nine games, but was nonetheless productive with 43 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, five pass breakups, and an interception.
Part of Stingley’s production is a result of his understanding and application of the game.
“Football IQ is high, and athletic ability can’t take that away from him,” Cromartie said. “I think he’s a game-changer who can do the things he needs to do on the back end and he’s going to have another good season this year.”
The Texans’ defensive scheme under new coach DeMeco Ryans is predicated upon an attacking front four that forces opposing quarterbacks into mistakes. If Stingley is racking up interceptions amid a Texans turnaround, it should help the former Bayou Bengal — no matter Houston’s market size.
