DeMeco Ryans is excited to coach the Houston Texans.
Despite their double-digit losing seasons for the past three seasons, the 2023 incarnation projects to have young defensive talent in cornerback Derek Stingley, safety Jalen Pitre, and linebacker Christian Harris. There is also untapped potential in defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
Having the opportunity to work with Houston’s defensive potential is one of the reasons he is motivated about the task at hand, and used Stingley as an example.
“That’s what excites me the most is being able to work with young guys and young guys who are talented,” Ryans said. “Stingley has outstanding talent. Scouted him the last year, and I know the talent that he has. I know the competitor that he is. Going to put him in position to make a lot of plays for us. Put him in a position where he can excel and showcase his talents.”
Stingley’s rookie season was limited to nine games, providing Houston with 43 combined tackles, 1.0 sack, and an interception.
Pitre was another story. The Stafford High School product led the team with 147 combined tackles and five interceptions through 17 starts.
“Seeing Jalen Pitre, loved him coming out of Baylor,” said Ryans. “Loved the blitzing, loved just the play speed of Pitre. Just to see him come out this past year and five interceptions, the way he attacked the ball, man, Jalen, we got to continue to do that. We’ve got to continue to take the ball away.”
Another 2022 draft class member who Ryans mentioned was linebacker Christian Harris. The third-rounder from Alabama had 74 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, five pass breakups, and an interception through 12 games, 11 of which he started.
Said Ryans: “Christian, linebacker, fast, physical linebacker. Those are the type of players we can build around. So that does excite me when you have the young talent that we have here that does excite me.”
Ryans used San Francisco 49ers linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw as examples of players who weren’t highly touted coming out of college, but developed into frontline starters at a minimum, All-Pros at a maximum.
“I’m most encouraged by seeing a player whether it’s a Fred Warner or Dre Greenlaw, guys I’ve worked with who when people say, ‘Oh, they’re not that good, right, they’re not good enough,’ that excites me the most because I know what it takes,” Ryans said. “It just takes time. It takes belief.
“It takes pouring everything you have into a young man like a Fred Warner, who a third-round pick, no one thought he could play middle linebacker, but I saw something in him, I saw a leader, I saw a guy who loved football, and I saw a guy who truly just allowed me to coach him. I coached him hard sometimes. It’s a fine line. I coach them hard and love them hard. Going back and forth.”
Ryans says that he prides himself on Warner being considered the best linebacker in the league, but also in the fact he is successful off the field.
“To see he is a young man who is married, has a beautiful wife, and he is doing the things the right way off of the field,” said Ryans. “Those are the things that excite me about working with young men, when I get an opportunity to mold and help them with things that they can take further along than when they’re done playing.”
If Ryans is able to take advantage of the Texans’ defensive talent on the roster, they should at least be a tough draw in the latter part of the 2023 schedule when some teams are looking for an easy win in the playoff hunt.
