Linebackers often take a year to develop in DeMeco Ryans’ system. Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw had their share of troubles when arriving under Ryans’ care in San Francisco.
Both have gone on to be Pro Bowlers, with the former reaching All-Pro status over his tenure. Perhaps that honor is now a milestone for Christian Harris, one of the Houston Texans’ defenders entering 2024.
Even with mixed play opposite Blake Cashman, Harris proved to be a valuable asset to the front seven en route to securing an AFC South division title. CBS Sports sees a similar trajectory to his career as Greenlaw’s now playing opposite former 49ers standout Azeez Al-Shaair.
The publication recently listed their All-Breakout Team for the 2024 season and named Harris as one of two linebackers ready for a promising third campaign.
Harris was very inconsistent on his 712 defensive snaps but there were reasons for optimism. Head coach DeMeco Ryans‘ background is linebacker. With an upgraded talent floor in Houston, there is no reason to believe that Harris will not take another step forward. – CBS Sports
Harris, a third-round pick out of Alabama, notched a career-high 101 tackles last season and two sacks. In the wild-card round against Cleveland, his 36-yard interception returned for a touchdown to secure a 45-14 win at home.
The expectation is for Harris to remain the starting “WILL” backer and play in space. Al-Shaair, fresh off his career-setting 163-tackle season, will replace Cashman and Denzel Perryman at the “MIKE” and be essential in run support.
Harris believes the Texans could have one of the top linebacker duos in the AFC with time.
“We got something in the works for sure,” Harris told KPRC2 Sports of his relationship with Al-Shaair. “He’s been working every day. He’s a great vet for me, giving out a whole lot of advice every day. I’m just looking forward to seeing what we can do.”
There were some bumps at the start of last season for Harris, but he closed out the year on a high note in Houston’s biggest games. Matching his continued opposite of Al-Shaiir should be a plus to the Texans’ hopes of making another postseason push.
The Texans return to practice for the start of training camp on July 18.