HOUSTON — Despite success for the Houston Texans defense under coach DeMeco Ryans, the third-year coach says the unit is back to square one — stating that last season was just that, last season.
“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.”
The Texans finished top 10 in total defense last season and ranked among the league’s best in other categories, but as far as 2025 goes, they are back to the basics.
The offseason has centered on fundamentals. While the offensive side of the ball has seen a complete revamp this offseason — highlighted by replacing offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik with Nick Caley — the defense will rely on its continuity. The only notable change was replacing safety Eric Murray with C.J. Gardner-Johnson, whose six interceptions last season (tied for third in the NFL) helped aid the Philadelphia Eagles to a Super Bowl win.
Even some of their offseason signings involved former Texans — such as defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (2023) and cornerback Tremon Smith (2021-22).
With the luxury of tangible familiarity, defensive coordinator Matt Burke has emphasized fundamentals to master the basics during the spring.
“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.”
After the first day of training camp this week, defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was asked about how the defense builds on a strong 2024, and his response was that it’s “all mental.”
“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.”
In their playoff win against the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round, they sacked quarterback Justin Herbert four times and pressured him on more than 50% of his dropbacks. They also finished with four interceptions.
At times, the defense carried Houston to victories last season. The unit ranked sixth in yards allowed per game (315) and 14th in points allowed (21.9). The defense also forced Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen into his lowest completion percentage in a game of his career (30%) in Week 5, forced Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa into a career-high four turnovers (three interceptions and a lost fumble) in Week 15 and intercepted the Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff a career-high five times in Week 10.
The Texans believe they can build off their defensive line and their secondary. They were tied for fourth in sacks (49) and 13th in interceptions (12). The group was led by defensive end Danielle Hunter, who had 12 sacks, and Anderson, who had 11.
“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.”
In the secondary, Gardner-Johnson joins a unit featuring nickelback Jalen Pitre, safety Calen Bullock, All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. and cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who as a rookie was tied with Stingley for the sixth most interceptions last season at five.
“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.”
As the Texans continue their evolution process, their training camp will hit the road. Houston will spend the first week of August in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and practice at The Greenbrier Resort before heading off for the first preseason game Aug. 9 (4 p.m. ET, NFL Network) at the Minnesota Vikings.
