15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023: No. 15 Sheldon Rankins

We’re kicking off our “15 Most Impactful Texans of 2023” series with Sheldon Rankins, a key component of Houston’s defensive turnaround.

The Houston Texans had, by all accounts, an extremely successful 2023 campaign.

They cruised to a 10-7 record under new head coach DeMeco Ryans and captured several accolades along the way. They won the AFC South and won a playoff game for the first time since the 2019 season. Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud won PFWA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson won PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, and even Ryans took home hardware with PFWA’s Coach of the Year.

With a revamped team effort that led to dramatic improvements compared to both the 2021 and 2022 Texans, it’s worth examining who created that impact this past season and what their future projects moving forward.

This series will examine the Top 15 most impactful Houston Texans of the 2023 campaign — first up on that list is defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins.

4 offseason takeaways after the Texans’ divisional round loss

Before transitioning to the offseason, here are some takeaways from the AFC divisional round that the Texans should remember:

The Houston Texans season is over.

After a storybook run over former player and rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans, including likely Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year performances from first round picks C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson, their momentum came to a screeching halt on Saturday night in a 34-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Texans not only looked schematically outclassed but the talent differential between their own roster and the top of the AFC had never been more apparent all season. The few bright spots that Houston had ridden to 10-7 and an AFC South victory were totally focused on and exploited by John Harbaugh and the Ravens veteran staff.

Houston now transitions to a pivotal offseason. They’ll be considered legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2024 and general manager Nick Caserio will be tasked with surrounding Stroud with talent that can compete with teams like Baltimore and Kansas City.

Before transitioning to the offseason, there are four upper-level takeaways from the AFC divisional round that the Texans should remember:

Texans crushed by Baltimore 34-10 in divisional round

The Houston Texans had no answers for Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

The magic had to end eventually.

In a season where they were predicted to win six games, the Houston Texans under head coach DeMeco Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud massively outperformed expectations. The team finished 10-7 and captured their first AFC South title since 2019 to make the playoffs. They then took down the Cleveland Browns, 45-14, in the wild-card round to advance to the divisional round – which the franchise had never gotten past.

And then they ran into a brick wall on Saturday against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens easily handled Houston 34-10 at home. It was a contest where the offense seemingly had no answers and the defense wasn’t able to hold up in the second half against likely 2023 MVP Lamar Jackson.

Stroud finished 19-of-33 for 175 yards passing. Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald was able to commit major resources to the pass and shut down what had been a dynamic element of Houston’s offense through the air under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.

Running back Devin Singletary finished with a mere 22 yards on nine carries. Wide receiver Nico Collins had 68 yards on five receptions, and tight end Dalton Schultz had 43 yards on five receptions. Houston could never get the ball moving under constant pressure from the Ravens front and creative coverage schemes on the back end.

Defensively, it was one of DeMeco Ryans’ more impressive schematic showings while it lasted. The Texans defense held the Baltimore offense to just 10 points in the first half and frustrated Jackson with constant blitzing.

However, with the consistent offensive failures, it wasn’t enough in the second half. Baltimore finished with 352 total yards, and Jackson passed for 152 passing yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for 100 yards and two scores. It was a true MVP performance.

The game was a tough reminder for Houston fans that the team wasn’t anticipated to be here with their current talent level and will need additional help moving forward. How they learn to run the ball and better support Stroud against prepared, elite defenses will be a question for the offseason.

There will be plenty of spending for the Texans this year with $72 million in salary cap space and a full cast of draft picks. It’s likely they’ll be favored in the AFC South entering 2024.

Stroud, a true franchise quarterback, and Ryans, a phenomenal leader, will have to wait till next year for another shot.

How the Texans can attack projected MVP Lamar Jackson

The Texans will face the difficult task of defending MVP candidate Lamar Jackson. Here’s how they can limit him.

There’s no such thing as an easy NFL divisional playoff game.

Anytime a team makes it to this point in the season, with the best remaining eight squads, everyone is solid. The Houston Texans have known this all too well. This is just the fifth time in franchise history they’ve advanced to the AFC divisional round, and they’ve never made it to the conference championship game, suffering losses to the New England Patriots (2012 and 2016 seasons), Kansas City Chiefs (2019) and Baltimore Ravens (2011).

This one shapes up to be particularly challenging as, for all the greatness of their own quarterback in rookie C.J. Stroud, they’ll face projected league MVP Lamar Jackson.

Jackson, the winner of the 2019 NFL MVP award and this year’s anticipated winner, has surged under first-year offensive coordinator Todd Monken. He threw for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions in the regular season while rushing for 821 yards and five touchdowns. His revamped offense, with receivers Zay Flowers, Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman, was one of the most dynamic in the league. With a top-tier defense as well, the Ravens cruised to a 13-4 record.

That included a decisive 25-9 victory over the Texans in Week 1. Houston’s defense did their job, allowing Jackson only 169 passing yards and forcing an interception, but their offensive deficiencies couldn’t be overcome. Since then, Baltimore’s offense certainly has improved, and so has Houston’s defense, which has jelled under head coach DeMeco Ryans.

How can the Texans repeat their Week 1 performance against Jackson? It likely starts up front.

Houston had 16 quarterback pressures and four sacks in Week 1. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke spoke on Wednesday about how everything starts with the discipline and effectiveness of the defensive line.

“It’s going to be sort of like we’ve preached all year, but even at a heightened level of rushing as a unit. We can’t have independent contractors out there. It’s definitely going to be about guys staying in their rush areas,” Burke said of his unit needing to work cohesively. “If you get out of your area and out of your lane, and kind of where we’re trying to put it all together, if you get out, then he’s going to make you pay. So, I would probably say just from a discipline – a rush-discipline level – this is the ultimate [challenge] this week, for sure.”

Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard, despite fighting injuries this week, will need to be at their best in this game. Their ability to generate pressure one-on-one and be used creatively on stunts generates an enormous amount of stress on the offensive line when paired with defensive tackles Sheldon Rankins and Maliek Collins. Jackson can fry any defense if he’s given too much time, whether with his legs or his arm.

Another way to generate pressure is to give the defensive line more time, or simply cover up passing outlets. Houston’s defensive back group is coming off one of their best performances of the season against Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.

Burke had more to say on the coverage component of covering Baltimore.

“Part of that preaching, even in coverage, there’s no clock on the coverage,” he said. “It’s – you have to defend the second play. We had him a couple of times where we kind of felt like we had him in the grass, and then he breaks out, and then he makes a play downfield. Hopefully not for that many yards, but it is a mental battle too, of like, we’ve got to keep coming, we’ve got to keep coming.”

Burke further discussed the tough task of stopping Jackson.

“You’ve got to throw waves at them,” he said. “He’s going to make some plays, right? There’s a reason he’s in the MVP conversation. He’s had a great season and he’s a great player, so we understand that there’s going to be plays that are made out there. It’s definitely going to be part of our mindset of, ‘Hey, next play – back up.’ We have a plan of how we want to approach it and we’ve got to stick with it.”

Don’t be surprised to see more varied coverage looks against the Ravens and further utilization of the special, emerging talent that is second-year cornerback Derek Stingley. Stingley shut down Amari Cooper last week and will likely see a heavy load of Baltimore leading receiver Zay Flowers, the only player to gather over 100 targets from Jackson this season. It could be difficult with Flowers’ usage in the slot, but nevertheless it won’t be a surprise if the Texans try to get Stingley on him.

Like last week, cornerbacks Steven Nelson and Desmond King will be tasked to cover secondary playmakers. Beckham is one of the better No. 2 receivers in the league but won’t represent an overwhelming physical matchup for Nelson, whose outstanding year culminated in a pick-six last week.

Linebackers Christian Harris and Blake Cashman will have to work in tandem with the safety group to stall former All-Pro Mark Andrews, if he’s able to suit up for the game. As with the Browns’ David Njoku last week, this may be an area of the field they’re happy to force Jackson to work toward.

All together, stout coverage on the back end with a good performance from the pass rushers should be enough to get consistent pressure on Jackson and hopefully sacks. However, pressure isn’t enough. Jackson was the league’s best passer against pressure this season.

How do you bring down a quarterback so elusive? Additional help never hurts.

Ryans has rarely blitzed six or more this season, but when he has, it’s been effective. The Texans have the second-highest pressure rate on opposing quarterbacks and have the fifth-best passer rating allowed in the NFL at 69.7. It’s resulted in two interceptions and just two touchdowns allowed despite a relatively low success rate (21st).

The last time they played against Baltimore, Houston wasn’t afraid to send the house at Jackson. They blitzed him five times, one of just four games this season at that volume, and forced a turnover.

Jackson goes from the league’s best passer, or at least a top passer, to extremely average against heavy blitz looks. He ranked 29th of 42 eligible passers in EPA/db and 36th in passer rating against such blitzes this year. The man coverages looks that they come with, and relative overloading of defensive bodies, also mean that it’s difficult for Jackson to use his legs.

Jackson’s EPA/db significantly decreases when forced to play against man coverage, likely for this very reason. He’s scrambled on only 10.5% of man dropbacks compared to 14.5% when facing zone. In this way, Ryans could gamble against Jackson as a pure drop-back passer in the right situations and eliminate the chaotic element of his running.

It won’t be an every-down flavor for Houston. The Texans like to rush four, and that’s their philosophy. However, expect them to dial up five to 10 plays where they work to heat up Jackson and force the kind of high-variance decision-making that can swing plays.

If everyone can play their assignments on downs and Ryans dials up his magic at just the right time, Houston may be able to slow Jackson.

DeMeco Ryans showcases defensive evolution with Derek Stingley

DeMeco Ryans and his Texans defense took a decisive step forward in a dominant wild-card win vs. Browns.

The Houston Texans put the league on notice Saturday.

They blew out the red-hot Cleveland Browns, 45-14, in the AFC wild card round in a performance where they dominated in every phase of the game. Against an opponent that had beat them by multiple touchdowns on Christmas Eve, Houston seemingly had all the answers and adjustments needed on Saturday.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud dazzled with 274 passing yards and three touchdowns. The youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a playoff game will certainly carry most of the attention moving forward in Texans coverage. However, he wasn’t the biggest takeaway from the contest.

It was head coach DeMeco Ryans and his defense taking a decisive step forward.

Ryans came to Houston after winning the AP NFL Assistant Coach of the Year award with the San Francisco 49ers. A fantastic former player, he was considered one of the best defensive minds in the sport and someone who could relate well to players. It wasn’t just that San Francisco had talented defenders, they had all somehow taken a leap forward playing under Ryans after the departure of Robert Saleh to be the head coach of the New York Jets.

One of the biggest transformations under Ryans in San Francisco was the emergence of Fred Warner as the league’s most valuable middle linebacker. He not only was a suffocating force in run support, but his versatility in coverage allowed the 49ers to scheme up impossible blitzes and bizarre coverage combinations to confuse quarterbacks.

Ryans recognized where on his roster he had 0.1% percentile talent and capitalized on that portion of the equation. Against the Browns, he took his first step towards deploying cornerback Derek Stingley with the same emphasis.

Stingley has had a breakout season in 2023. He had 39 total tackles, 13 passes defended and five interceptions across 11 games and ended the season on a strong note, where he was awarded AFC Defensive Player of the Month for December/January. To this point, Ryans had not necessarily highlighted his talent in the same way he praised him at the podium.

Houston’s defensive scheme had largely relied on cornerbacks playing “sides,” where one player is predominantly the right corner and the other plays the left. This allows players, especially the less talented corners he’d worked with San Francisco, to better practice using the sideline as an additional defender to assist. Arriving in Houston, this had stayed consistent with Steven Nelson playing 98% of his snaps at the right cornerback and Derek Stingley playing 98% of his snaps at the left cornerback.

It’s possible that Ryans recognized they needed to change after wide receiver Amari Cooper torched them for multiple touchdowns and over 200 yards during the first contest. It’s also possible they’d been waiting for a playoff situation to unveil their new wrinkle. Regardless, it finally happened on Saturday.

Stingley traveled with Amari Cooper all night — and it wasn’t a pleasant experience for the Browns’ offense.

Stingley traveled with Cooper on 83.3% of his snaps for the entire contest. Cooper was targeted just once and had no catches on all of those attempts. He averaged a mere 0.7 yards of separation against Stingley on those routes. The downstream effects were extremely disruptive.

Other receivers truly struggled to separate, especially into the second half. Joe Flacco was forced to progress from his first read to second and checkdown options. It got the defense off the field when they threw short and, most importantly, allowed the defensive line to be disruptive when he held on too long.

Houston’s defensive line group had 25 total pressures, including seven from Will Anderson Jr. and six from Derek Barnett. It led to 4.0 sacks and one directly led to a pick-six when Flacco was hit late as he launched a ball right into the hands of a waiting Steven Nelson.

Forced to work to more secondary options, another pick-six came on the next drive as he fired to the tight end without processing a waiting linebacker in Christian Harris. Cleveland’s entire offensive rhythm was disrupted without Cooper as the focal point of the offense and ample bodies to work on David Njoku.

It’s a terrifying development for the remaining AFC playoff field. Houston’s defense has a new trick to both enhance the quality of their pass coverage and also to make their defensive line more effective. This comes at a time when both Anderson and Jonathan Greenard are getting healthier and healthier.

Kansas City and Baltimore will both have more dynamic pass catching options. However, their confidence will certainly be decreased from how they may have felt a week ago.

The path of Ryans’ defense and how he continues to use his elite players like Stingley and Anderson is transforming. It will certainly yield a monster in the future, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be terrifying now in the present.

Texans stomp Browns 45-14, advance to divisional round

The Houston Texans pulled way ahead in the second half to beat the Cleveland Browns.

The magic continues for first year head coach DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans after the 45-14 win over the Cleveland Browns in the wild card round.

As recently as Christmas Eve, the Houston Texans were embarrassed by Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco and receiver Amari Cooper in a 36-22 loss during Week 16. After winning the AFC South the last week of the season, they had the opportunity to take advantage.

The Texans certainly capitalized.

Houston beat Cleveland 45-14 in a dominant victory that saw the Texans put together their most complete game of the season on both sides of the ball. They led throughout most of the first half, going to the locker room up, 24-14, and never looked back.

Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud fueled the early lead and he finished with 274 yards and 3 touchdowns against the NFL’s best defense of the 2023 season. His season long connection with receiver Nico Collins and tight end Dalton Schultz was once again on display.

Collins had 6 receptions for 96 yards and a touchdown. Schultz overcame an early drop with a 37-yard touchdown catch before the end of the first half. Joining in the offensive explosion, third-year tight end Brevin Jordan had Houston’s longest offensive play of the season with a 76-yard receiving touchdown on a tight end screen.

It was the best game of the season from offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and the team could seemingly do no wrong. Running back Devin Singletary took 13 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown while pacing the offense before Davis Mills and the backups were able to take over with around 9 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Of course, there’s no blowout with DeMeco Ryans and his defense playing ravenous football.

If Joe Flacco had been on a Cinderella run, it came crashing back down to earth on Saturday. The third quarter saw Flacco throw consecutive pick-sixes, one to Steven Nelson and the other to linebacker Christian Harris, while facing constant pressure. Flacco finished with 307 yards and a touchdown but couldn’t overcome the two turnovers for scores.

Flacco was pressured on 15 of his drop backs, Will Anderson Jr. had 7 while Derek Barnett had 6. Anderson and Barnett both had sacks while Harris and defensive tackle Kurt Hinish chipped in their own for a total of 4 on the day.

No Browns running back went for more than 30 yards as the defense suffocated Cleveland on the ground and forced them to become one dimensional. Amari Cooper, who had over 200 receptions on the first contest, had just 4 receptions for 59 yards in the rematch as Houston found answers.

It was a dominant victory in what has been an incredible debut season for Ryans and Stroud in turning around the Houston Texans. It’s the kind of win that will inspire major confidence in the divisional round, potentially see coaches like Bobby Slowik have opportunities to become a head coach, and ultimately one that signals the team will a force to consider in Super Bowl conversations for years to come.

The Texans will now await the results of the next 2 AFC playoffs games to see where the playoff road will take them.

4 ways the Texans can limit Browns’ Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper

The Texans and Browns have a rematch, but things will be different this time around. Here’s how Houston can limit Cleveland:

The Houston Texans have a rematch in the postseason!

After winning the AFC South last weekend, they’ve secured a home playoff matchup against the Cleveland Browns (Saturday, 3:30 p.m CT). The two played as recently as Christmas Eve, during which the Browns absolutely battered the Texans, without C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson, Blake Cashman and others, in a 36-22 Week 16 victory.

The initial matchup leaves some interesting questions for Houston on defense. They can expect their offensive output to improve dramatically with Stroud back under center, but they’ll have to play better to stop a Cleveland offense who had 418 total yards during the game.

Quarterback Joe Flacco threw for 368 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions while wide receiver Amari Cooper had the best day of his career with 11 receptions for 265 yards and two scores.

There are certainly changes from the last time they played and ones that should give Houston fans optimism things will be different. Here are four of those developments that may play a huge role:

5 statistical takeaways from Texans’ Week 18 victory

Here are five reasons why the Houston Texans took down the Indianapolis Colts to secure a playoff spot Saturday.

The Houston Texans secured their spot in the playoffs in a pivotal victory Saturday night 23-19 over the Indianapolis Colts. Later, they won the AFC South when the Jacksonville Jaguars fell on the road to the division rival Tennessee Titans.

As such, it’s created one of the best stories in the NFL. After winning just seven games the past two seasons combined, head coach DeMeco Ryans has won 10 games and gifted the city where he once played their first playoff game (and home playoff game) since 2019. They’ll get a rematch with the Cleveland Browns, who easily dismantled Houston without C.J. Stroud in Week 16.

Even as the team turns its focus towards the playoffs, there are still some important takeaways from the team’s gutsy performance over the Colts in what was essentially a playoff game. Here are five takeaways looking at the advanced metrics from Saturday’s huge victory.

Texans secure playoff spot with 23-19 win vs. Colts

The Texans defeated the Colts, 23-19, to secure a spot in the playoffs.

It was unimaginable a year ago.

The Houston Texans were the poster child for dysfunctional NFL franchises and had just lost the No. 1 overall pick on the road in Indianapolis. They fired their second consecutive head coach in as many seasons while many questioned how general manager Nick Caserio was retained in his position.

Fast forward a calendar year and the Texans face a different picture. Their rookie quarterback, C.J. Stroud, is one of the hottest stars in the league. Their new head coach, former star linebacker DeMeco Ryans, is one of the ascending stars in the coaching circle. Overall, they look like one of the more dangerous teams in their conference.

Most of all, the Texans are advancing to the AFC playoffs after a huge 23-19 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Receiver Nico Collins made a statement as a No. 1 receiver with an incredible performance that included nine receptions, 195 yards and one touchdown helping Stroud to a 264-yard and two-touchdown game. Their connection was highlighted early in the contest with an almost too easy 75-yard touchdown off play action from Stroud to Collins.

Running back Devin Singletary, despite a hefty effort from the Indianapolis defense, was able to pace the Houston offense. He totaled 24 carries for 63 yards and a pivotal fourth quarter touchdown. It was a key difference in how the team adapted from their earlier Week 2 loss to the same Colts team.

Defensively, despite Indianapolis outpacing the Texans in yardage (360 to 306), Houston was able to hold on when it counted most. The Colts were a measly 1-for-11 on third down and failed on a pivotal fourth down conversion late in the fourth quarter when running back Tyler Goodson dropped an off-target checkdown from quarterback Gardner Minshew.

Linebackers Blake Cashman and Christian Harris paced the team in tackles, with 13 and 12 respectively, while Harris gathered the team’s only sack of the entire evening.

It was the kind of game that summarized the story book season that Houston has gone through over the past few months. Now, the team will move past the story and into the reality of the AFC playoffs. They’ll either host the Cleveland Browns or travel to Buffalo to face the Bills or Kansas City to face the Chiefs, depending on the results of Sunday’s contest.

Regardless, this team has accomplished more than anyone could have anticipated. Their advancement after finishing in the bottom of the AFC the past three seasons is more than anyone could have hoped for. Now, they await Sunday’s results.

Will Anderson Jr. sets Texans record, makes late push for Defensive Rookie of the Year

Will Anderson Jr. is making a late push for Defensive Rookie of the Year after setting a Texans record on Sunday

The Houston Texans have missed Will Anderson Jr.

They decided the pass rusher from Alabama could be a future face of their franchise when they selected him third overall in the 2023 NFL draft. General manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans’ faith was even further shown through the hefty trade price, including two first-round picks, they paid to move back into the top three after selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud.

By all accounts, his season to date had been a success. He had five sacks, 42 tackles and 56 quarterback pressures while playing a huge role in the Texans massive turnaround in run defense. Anderson had consistently shown the talent and explosiveness that captivated Houston’s coaching staff despite missing their Week 15 and 16 contests.

On Sunday, he added another feather in his cap.

Anderson had one of the best games of his young career against the Tennessee Titans. He gathered two sacks, both on the same drive, and six quarterback pressures while terrorizing both Will Levis and backup Ryan Tannehill. Per Next Gen Stats, Anderson had a pressure rate of 54.5%, affecting the quarterback on over half of his snaps played.

The performance was not only a huge boost for the Texans team hopes, as the win put them in position to clinch an AFC Wild Card spot if they can win their Week 18 finale in Indianapolis, but also gave him some personal accolades.

His seven sacks on the season passed Whitney Mercilus for the most by a Houston Texans rookie in franchise history. For comparison, franchise legend J.J. Watt had only 5.0 in his rookie campaign. It could have also helped him from a national perspective.

The Defensive Rookie of the Year award is far from a done contest, albeit Philadelphia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is a huge betting favorite. Anderson’s two-sack performance allowed him to pass Carter in the category and his narrative as a compelling factor in Houston’s turnaround, in a potential playoff season, may be enough to capture voters.

Certainly, there are bigger concerns for Anderson than personal awards or franchise records. Houston fans, however, have to feel quite good that their team has incredible building blocks on both sides on the football. They’ll see next week whether or not it’s enough to make the AFC playoffs .