Shaquill Griffin has unique insight into the defensive back room.
The former Pro Bowl cornerback is part of a veteran solution in the Houston Texans’ secondary. Through a week and a half of training camp, Griffin has confidence in the personnel.
“Oh, man, we’ve got some studs on defense,” Griffin told reporters Aug. 3 after practice. “That DB room is stacked. It’s definitely a cool group to be a part of, especially competition wise, and getting the chance learn from a lot of the guys.”
Houston’s secondary had Derek Stingley and Steven Nelson as starting cornerbacks last season with Jalen Pitre as one of the starting safety. The Texans signed former San Francisco 49ers safety Jimmie Ward to be a leader for the group, principally due to his work with new coach DeMeco Ryans, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator the past two years. However, the players who were on the roster a year ago are still paragons.
Said Griffin: “I’ve seen Stingley stepping up in a big way. I see Pitre being the leader in that room that we need him to be. Steve is just a savvy vet, so it’s good to just continue to learn from a guy like that. I feel like everyone is taking it a step above in that competition room, so that DB group, you have a bunch of studs in there, so I love to be a part of it.”
The emphasis for the Texans’ scheme under Ryans is to have an attacking 4-3 front. The secondary must stay patient as the opportunities for takeaways will theoretically come from the pressure.
