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DJ Bien-Aime
HOUSTON — During Will Anderson Jr.’s visit with the Houston Texans ahead of the 2023 draft, defensive coordinator Matt Burke thought the visit was a waste of time.
But in a good way.
«I’m sitting here with the overwhelming feeling like, what are we doing,» Burke told ESPN. «I mean every question was just spot-on. When he left for the day, he just confirmed everything I already thought.»
Coach DeMeco Ryans felt the same way, and he knew his defense needed help on the edge to thrive. After six years with the San Francisco 49ers prior to coming to Houston to take over as coach in 2023, he saw how vital defensive end Nick Bosa was to unlocking a unit that ranked No. 1 in total defense in 2022 and 2019.
So Ryans wanted to bring that foundation, and he knew it started with Anderson. Houston had the No. 2 pick, but it was also in need of a franchise quarterback. General manager Nick Caserio and Ryans found a way to get quarterback C.J. Stroud and Anderson — trading up to No. 3 after taking Stroud at No. 2 — and both have become cornerstone players.
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«I knew we had to get a dynamic edge point,» Ryans told ESPN. «That’s why it was so important to get Will Anderson. If you want to play coverage how we play, you have to be able to speed the quarterback up. You speed it up with the rusher.»
Fast-forward to the 2025 season, and the pass rush is part of the reason the Texans are allowing a league low in points (16.6) and yards (272.3).
Through the draft, the Texans also brought in cornerbacks Kamari Lassiter (second round, 2024) and Derek Stingley Jr. (first round, 2022), along with safeties Calen Bullock (third round, 2024) and Jalen Pitre (second round, 2022). And in free agency, they made impactful acquisitions in defensive end Danielle Hunter and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.
As Houston (10-5) prepares to play the Los Angeles Chargers (11-5) on Saturday (4:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network), its «S.W.A.R.M.» culture is set for the national stage. The acronym means special work ethic and relentless mindset, and the players Houston has either signed or drafted have lived up to Ryans’ mantra.
After starting 0-3, Houston has inserted itself in the final playoff spot in the AFC currently, and it has the longest active win streak (six) in the NFL as it sits one game back of the No. 6 seed and the Jacksonville Jaguars (11-4) in the AFC South. Despite that, a Week 17 win would clinch a playoff spot for the third straight season.
With the playoffs on the line, Saturday will also be a rematch from last season’s wild-card round. Houston’s defense shone, sacking and intercepting quarterback Justin Herbert four times in a 32-12 win. But Ryans knows the unit will have to be dialed in against Herbert, who’s having a «great year,» according to the Texans coach.
«They have a really great quarterback in Justin Herbert, who’s done a really nice job,» Ryans said. «So it’s going to be a challenge, a challenge that we’re up for.»
Blake Cashman and defensive end Jonathan Greenard, both coming off career years. Greenard had notched 12.5 sacks and Cashman had 106 tackles, but the Texans let them walk. They brought in Al-Shaair and Hunter instead.
Ryans, a former All-Pro linebacker with the Texans, puts a lot on the plates of linebackers manning the middle. He needed someone who understood the schematic inside out and inked Al-Shaair to a three-year deal worth $34 million. Ryans and Al-Shaair had a relationship dating to 2019 when both were in San Francisco (2019 to 2022). Ryans admitted he tried to get Al-Shaair to Houston during the 2023 free agency period but believed «God’s timing worked it all out.»
«[Al-Shaair] knows what I expect. He knows I’m always going to push him to perfection,» Ryans said. «Him knowing my message, and I know what he was going to be able to spread to the other guys as well. We were missing a glue piece, missing a true leader of our locker room, especially on the defensive side.»
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Al-Shaair earned his first career Pro Bowl honor earlier this week, and for his locker mate, Hunter, it was pretty simple since Ryans viewed Hunter as an upgrade at the position.
Even though Greenard’s 12.5 sacks was tied for 10th in the NFL that stat season, it was his first double-digit sack season. Hunter, who has been named to five Pro Bowls, had 16.5. Houston signed Hunter to a two-year, $49 million contract, and Greenard ended up with the Minnesota Vikings, along with Cashman.
Both pass rushers succeeded in their new spots, earning Pro Bowl honors for units that finished in the top 10 in scoring defense in 2024. Houston gave Hunter a one-year, $35.6 million extension in March after finishing with 12 sacks last season, and he also reached the 100-sack milestone this season.
«Just being an older guy who understood what it takes to get to the quarterback,» Ryans said of what makes Hunter one of the league’s best pass rushers. «He’s done it consistently throughout his career. We were getting somebody who was going to be productive, no matter what scheme he was in.»
THE DRAFT IS where Houston built its foundation. The Texans evaluate film not only for talent but to see if the football personality fits.
Coming off the 2023 season, Houston wanted to get younger at cornerback. It had a productive cornerback in Steven Nelson, who notched five interceptions that season, including a pick-six in the playoffs. But he was 30 years old.
Cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso remembered receiving a list of cornerbacks to watch from his scouting department during the 2024 draft season, with Lassiter’s name popping up. Beyond Lassiter’s strong cover skills, Vasso pinpointed an effort play from the former Georgia Bulldog during the SEC championship game against LSU.
Lassiter blitzed off the edge into the backfield, but LSU running back Josh Williams zoomed down the middle before Lassiter chased him down to prevent the score, while up 42-17. That confirmed his suspicion that Lassiter was a perfect fit.
The Texans met with Lassiter at the NFL combine for 20 minutes, and his all-about-football persona beamed throughout the room.
It was a slam dunk evaluation for Houston. So easy that the Texans didn’t bring Lassiter in for a predraft visit — nor gave him any indications they were going to draft him.
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«I had no clue, zero,» Lassiter told ESPN. «My agent didn’t say anything about the Texans. I wasn’t talking to them heavily, It was a huge surprise.»
One reason Ryans didn’t bring Lassiter in for a visit was because whenever he met with Lassiter’s Georgia teammates they bragged about his «dog mentality,» which sold the coach.
By the end of minicamp, Lassiter was a starter beating out veterans Jeff Okudah and C.J. Henderson.
Beyond the 73.4 passer rating allowed this season when targeted, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, his run defense speaks to his physical nature. Through two seasons he has the most run stops (15) and has the highest stuff rate, per NGS, among all cornerbacks. Each stuff is punctuated by a two-hand strike to his helmet in celebration.
Lassiter’s draftmate, Bullock, did visit, so the team could ensure that he was a fit. Bullock’s ball skills were tantalizing to Houston — nine interceptions at USC. Safeties coach Stephen Adegoke quickly remembered an interception against Arizona State in 2023 when Bullock covered half the field before leaping through the sky to snatch the ball like a wide receiver.
«He was in the post,» Adegoke said. «He hit a 360 and then caught the interception on the right part of the sideline, full extension. It looked identical to his interception versus the [Green Bay] Packers last year.»
Bullock knew Houston had interest, but when the draft came around, he wasn’t completely sure he would end up there because he didn’t expect to last until the third round. When Bullock was still available, Ryans, sitting next to Caserio, circled Bullock’s name on a piece of paper.
«I thought he would go much sooner in the draft,» Ryans told ESPN. «So I’m just sitting there with Bullock on my list, just certain like ‘OK, this is the guy,’ I just kept telling Nick, this is the guy.
«I never worked with a guy like Calen, who had his type of ability to take the ball away. And I always wanted that.»
In Bullock’s rookie year he had five interceptions, even though he didn’t earn a starting role until Week 4. He didn’t feel like he arrived onto the NFL scene until his performance against the Detroit Lions on «Sunday Night Football» six weeks later. The former youth baseball player tapped into his center fielder skills to track down and intercept Lions quarterback Jared Goff when covering Jameson Williams.
«That was one of my favorite plays in my career,» Bullock told ESPN. «Since then, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m one of those ones.'»
Bullock has been able to make his mark in the turnover game, but he made a statement against the Buffalo Bills in Week 13. He forced three turnovers (two interceptions and a forced fumble) — including a game-ending pick.
BEFORE RYANS ARRIVED, Caserio had already drafted Stingley, as well as Pitre.
Stingley had questions surrounding him after playing only three games in 2021 because of a foot injury. He also had uneven play in 2020 after a standout freshman year at LSU in 2019, where his six interceptions led the SEC and helped earn him first-team All-America honors.
There were many debates about who should be the top cornerback taken in the draft that year between Cincinnati’s Sauce Gardner and Stingley. Stingley’s injury history didn’t concern the Texans’ staff, and «the physical gifts jumped off the tape from Day 1» to Vasso.
So for Houston, it was an easy pick at No. 3 overall.
«He has things that we can’t teach,» Vasso told ESPN. «You saw that relatively early. And the thing that jumped out a lot more than anything is his ability to locate the football. I think I value it the most because I can put guys in situations, help them with tracking the ball. But that’s something that you either have or you don’t. It’s evident that he has it.»
Ryans also had Stingley ahead of Gardner in his draft evaluation in 2022 when he was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers. Since arriving, Stingley’s 14 interceptions are the second most in the NFL — while Gardner has only three.
«I had Stingley as my top guy there,» Ryans said. «I knew the guy wasn’t afraid of competition and had physical ability. I just knew we just had to put him in a position where he could shine a little bit more.»
Pitre’s development hasn’t been as linear. He went from playing free safety, where he had five interceptions as a rookie in 2022. He eventually was moved to nickel under Ryans in 2024, which took some adjusting.
Arizona Cardinals the No. 12 pick, their second-round pick (No. 33) and first- and third-round picks in 2024 — to get Anderson. The Texans had additional first-round picks to use after acquiring those from trading away Deshaun Watson to the Cleveland Browns in 2022.
«I didn’t think I was going to be here at all,» Anderson told ESPN. «I know they needed a quarterback. So obviously C.J. was available.»
The investment has paid off so far. Anderson has made two Pro Bowls with 29.5 sacks (11th most) and is sixth in tackles for loss (43). He has developed into a leader of a defense that has set the standard. The bar is so high that whenever Houston allows over 19 points, it’s viewed as a failed outing — even in wins.
In Week 16, the Texans defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 23-21, but running back Ashton Jeanty finished with a career-high 188 scrimmage yards (128 rushing, 60 receiving with two touchdowns).
«That’s terrible,» Stingley said of the defense after back-to-back weeks in which they allowed at least 20 points after defeating the Arizona Cardinals 40-20 the prior week. «We as players just know what we’re capable of doing as a group. And we don’t want that for ourselves.»
During the three prior games, the Texans held the Indianapolis Colts to 16 points, the Bills to 19 points — two top-10 scoring offenses — and intercepted Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes three times.
Ryans knew the unit’s potential dating back to training camp, and with two games left in the regular season, he has seen it all come to life.
«In training camp our guys were just dominating,» Ryans told ESPN. «It was impressive. I had to take a step back. It’s like, ‘Whoa.'»
