
The Houston Texans went with the Tampa 2 for the past two seasons with Lovie Smith as defensive coordinator under David Culley in 2021 and then coach in 2022. Although the scheme was predicated on having rotations of defensive linemen, the results were underwhelming.
Defensive end Jerry Hughes had success in Smith’s scheme last season as he led the Texans with 9.0 sacks, the most since 2014 when Hughes had 10.0.