Tag: Texans defensive end

Texans DE Will Anderson seeks complete totality as edge rusher

Houston Texans DE Will Anderson doesn’t just want to be a pass rusher. The rookie also has his sights on dominating the entire edge.

Touchdown passes measure quarterbacks, interceptions for defensive backs, and sacks are the rubric for edge rushers.

J.J. Watt set the bar for any future Houston Texans edge rusher. Try a 10-year tenure with five double-digit sack seasons, of which included four straight of 10-plus, and three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. As the franchise leader, any Texans defender will be chasing Watt’s 101.0 for a long time.

Watt, a future first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer, played with such passion and ferocity when it came to getting to the quarterback that he made most fans and analysis forget that the defensive end position has many more responsibilities. He also has made it harder for most people watching rookie edge rusher Will Anderson to recognize the impact he has made throughout his first seven games in the NFL.

Anderson, 22, is getting acclimated to playing in the NFL and has garnered much attention by opposing offenses. He consistently sees multiple players throughout the game to try and slow his pursuit of the quarterback at an alarming rate for a rookie. Teams have doubled the former two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year award winner 24% of the time this season, which places him right behind Myles Garrett (30%), Micah Parsons (28%) and former Texans player Jadeveon Clowney (26%).

“Will has been impactful,” said Texans first-year defensive coordinator Matt Burke, who coached Watt in Arizona in 2022. “I feel like I’ve said this a lot: I think he’s already, as a rookie, one of the best run defenders on the edge in the NFL. He’s powerful and violent. Sets edges about as good as a lot of people that I’ve seen in this league. He affects the quarterback right now. He’s close. I mean, his pressure rate is still really high, and I think his challenge is not getting frustrated by the sack production. You start chasing stats, it goes the wrong way.”

The Texans made a draft day trade with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire Anderson with the third overall selection in this year’s draft. There are a lot of expectations being drafted that high, and if you factor in the amount of future capital Houston gave up for him, many can see why the sack statistic can play a vital role in how he is evaluated.

Fourth-year veteran Jonathan Greenard, who starts opposite of Anderson, realizes that the sack totals do not jump off the page for the rookie but understands the impact he brings in the totality of the overall defensive scheme that head coach DeMeco Ryans has installed.

“If you see a guy getting chipped or they are running away from him or they are cutting him, he has already made the play right then,” said Greenard, who leads all edge defenders with 8.5% defensive stop rate this season, according to Next Gen Stats. “Now they have just dedicated half of that play to you because they knew you were going to be able to make that play, and now, they are playing behind the sticks.”

Anderson’s impact has been felt by opposing quarterbacks as he leads all rookie pass rushers with a 0.76 avg get-off time this season and has generated 26 QBP [Quarterback Pressures] on 186 pass rushes, which ranks him third amongst all rookies. He is also helping a run defense that finished last in the NFL in rushing yards allowed in 2022 at 170 yards per game, holding teams to under 100 yards throughout seven games this season.

“It all comes down to knowing who you are,” Anderson told the Texans Wire about the dynamics of his position. “You know what position you play, and you know that it is more than just going out there and getting sacks. We call it ‘Factor’ here. How are you factoring the game? Whether that is causing disruptions, getting pressure, or helping others around you.”

“Ultimately, it comes down to you doing your job. Don’t press for anything. Don’t go out there and do anything you have done differently all week, and don’t let the expectations of others or whoever may think that sacks is all there is push you to make you do something that you know you are not supposed to be doing.”

“When you hear ‘Edge Rusher,’ you think of sacks, but being an edge rusher is being an elite player all the way around. Stopping the run, getting tackles for loss, causing disruption, setting edges, and things like that. That is how I see myself when I see edge rusher.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1416]

Texans should consider UCLA DE Gabriel Murphy in 2024 NFL draft

If the Houston Texans want to let Jonathan Greenard walk, UCLA DE Gabriel Murphy could be a younger option in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Houston Texans will have to make a decision with Jonathan Greenard. Either the Texans re-sign their former 2020 third-rounder at the end of the season, or they let Greenard test free agency. Given the defensive end is leading the team with 3.5 sacks, Greenard may be able to score a contract that Houston finds too pricey.

In the event Greenard gets away from the Texans, the organization has to be prepared, and UCLA defensive end Gabriel Murphy has to be a part of that contingency.

According to Trevor Sikkema from Pro Football Focus, the Bruin edge defender benefits from playing opposite Laiatu Latu, but Murphy’s complementary work is nonetheless noteworthy if a team is looking to collect pass rushers.

2023 is the second season of great pass-rush production from Murphy. The 6-foot-3, 255-pounder is used on both sides of the field — and sometimes even as an interior rusher — and it has yielded success. His 18.6% pass-rush win rate in 2022 has been bested by his 22.4% clip so far this season.

Murphy’s hand work is so good, often disengaging with blockers before they can even reach him and making sure they can’t get ahold of him as he attacks the outside or inside shoulders. Despite his 91.2 pass-rush grade this season, he isn’t getting the love his production warrants.

The Texans’ defense begins with the front. Having Murphy would allow the Texans to get younger at the position and also keep a veteran contract off their salary cap.

Through seven games, Murphy has generated 18 combined tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and a pass breakup.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1365]

Fatherhood adds extra motivation for Texans DE Jonathan Greenard

Houston Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard has extra motivation now that he is a new dad.

Sept. 24, 2023, will always hold a special place in Houston Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard’s heart.

Not because he helped the Texans get their first victory of the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which was an accomplishment within itself with all of the injuries the team sustained going into the game, but because it was the day he and his bride-to-be, Altagracia Marte welcomed into the world a beautiful baby girl named Rayna Greenard.

“Baby girl [Rayna] got here, and I could not help it,” Greenard said about the tears that flowed down his face continuously when he held his daughter for the first time. “Just to see my fiancée still doing well after everything and my baby girl healthy, that was everything, and I lost it as soon as I seen her and she seen me, and we locked eyes; it was just one of those experiences you can’t explain.”

“I have an extra chip on my shoulder, obviously, knowing that I am playing for somebody who looks up to you, and you can do no wrong in their eyes. It just adds that much more fun to the game and more motivation as well.”

Before he took the field on Sunday, Greenard got a call as the team was headed to stretch from his fiancée that her water had broken and that she was headed to the hospital. Yet, he did not switch up his pregame routine and played the game with the same intensity he brings to the field weekly.

“She told me to just go play the game, and everything will be fine back in Houston,” said Greenard. “As a matter of fact, she watched the game from the hospital bed. She said she felt as if she was sending positive vibes my way, letting me know everything was going to be okay.”

With the confidence of knowing that everything was being taken care of medically back in Houston for the arrival of his daughter, the fourth-year defensive end took that mini-pregame speech and used it as motivation to intimidate Jacksonville’s offense all game. The things that Greenard does on the defensive side of the ball don’t always show up on the stat sheet, but his intangibles make defensive coordinator Matt Burke smile when he watches the film.

“‘J.G.’ [Jonathan Greenard] has been great,” Burke said at his weekly press conference. “Asking him to do those things: be disruptive, attack, get off the ball. He’s a real cerebral player, so he really wants to know the ‘why’s’ and know the ins and outs, and I think that helps him perform on Sunday, so he’s a real studious guy that I think takes it from the meeting room to the practice field to the games, and that intent and purposefulness has been showing up.”

Greenard’s presence helped the Texans maintain their 24-10 lead in the third quarter of Sunday’s game. With Jacksonville looking to gain more second-half momentum, they faced third and seven from their own 38. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence dropped back, searching for a wide receiver he could complete a pass to so that they could keep the drive going. While in the pocket, he felt pressure from Greenard, who started the play from the linebacker position. He came behind rookie defensive end Will Anderson and was quickly in Lawrence’s face, causing him to throw an interception to linebacker Blake Cashman.

“He is a very smart player,” said Anderson about Greenard. “He is very instinctive. I tell him all the time, ‘There are a lot of things that you can do that I would never think of in a million years to do.’ He is a fantastic guy. I watch him work every day; he is crafty, he wants it, he is hungry for it. Just being in the room with him he keeps everyone on edge. When you have a guy in the room that demands excellence and keeps a high standard of himself and everybody else makes the room great.”

Even with all the accolades the former First-Team All-SEC player out of Florida receives, it still will never be enough to put himself before the team.

“When you make plays, it is like you are supposed to do that,” Greenard said exclusively to the Texans Wire about his non-selfish attitude. “Of course, we hold ourselves to a different standard. I just want to win. None of that [Individual stats] matters if we are making stats and we still ain’t showing up. I am just going to keep grinding and helping my teams get more wins moving forward.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=601914802]

Texans coach DeMeco Ryans’ message to DE Will Anderson: ‘Just keep rushing’

Will Anderson shared with @johnhcrumpler what Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans’ message was after his first NFL game.

Rookie defensive end Will Anderson has made a fast impact on the Houston Texans defense. After being drafted third overall this past April, he’s already considered the best edge rusher on the team and that talent flashed during his Week 1 debut where he sacked former MVP Lamar Jackson while generating six pressures.

It was a great game plan that saw Anderson employed on various stunts and constantly finding ways to pressure the quarterback. This week, Anderson announced a partnership with Klutch Sports by New Balance and took time to talk with the Texans Wire. During that discussion, he wasn’t afraid to give credit where credit was due to the coaching staff.

“Let me start by saying this, I’m a rookie so I don’t really get no input,” Anderson said. “I don’t get a ton of input on what goes on with the game plan. They may ask me what I like and what calls do I like but I have to give the coaches credit for the game plan that they come up with.

“Coach [DeMeco] Ryans is the defensive mind and [defensive coordiantor] (Matt) Burke does a great job as well. It’s Coach Ryan’s defense at the end of the day and they come up with the game plan and I’m just a rookie, just listening to what they’re telling me.”

Ryans played a great part in transforming San Francisco into one of the NFL’s elite defensive units over his two years as defensive coordinator. It was no surprise when him and the defensive staff found an excellent game plan for Baltimore.

In terms of how his big day came together, Anderson was complimentary of the game plan and the overall performance of the defensive line in contributing to how they contained Jackson:

“I think the plan that they had was really great,” said Anderson. “Going against a quarterback like Lamar Jackson you have to keep him in the pocket. It really started with us up front and we had to do a good job of containing him, rushing together and rushing as one. We had to make sure nobody was stuck as an individual. We could have had more success up front, we made some mistakes, but we did a lot of good things and that was a good start for us up front.”

Anderson has 15 games to go now and is coming off a contest against the Indianapolis Colts where he was unable to find either Anthony Richardson or Gardner Minshew for a sack. Don’t count on the lack of sacks detering the rookie’s motivation. He had a fascinating takeaway from his first NFL game that is likely to continue all season.

Said Anderson: “Really, just keep rushing. That’s one of the biggest things that Coach Ryans harps on all the time. No matter what happens just keep rushing, don’t rush timid, just everybody rush from the same page. That’s one thing that I took from the last game that you may miss a few here and there but just keep rushing and track your angles. When the ball is thrown just tracking to the ball and take your angles. That’s what I want to take with me.”

Houston will need Anderson to keep rushing and to play at a high level if they want to turn their season around. They’ll have an opportunity in Jacksonville to take their first win when they travel to play the Jaguars and quarterback Trevor Lawrence on Sunday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1416]

Texans sign DE Derek Rivers to practice squad

The Houston Texans signed defensive end Derek Rivers back to the practice squad.

The journey for defensive end Derek Rivers continues.

The Houston Texans signed the former New England Patriots 2017 third-round pick to their practice squad Monday.

Rivers has been with the Texans in some capacity since signing a free agent contract in March 2021. For 2023, Rivers re-signed with the Texans in March and remained a member of the team’s offseason roster.

At the end of preseason, the Texans waived Rivers and signed the Youngstown State product to the practice squad. On Sept. 12, the Texans signed Rivers to the active roster, but released the defensive end the day before the Week 2 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1365]

Texans sign DE Derek Rivers to active roster

The Houston Texans are giving Derek Rivers a shot. The club announced Tuesday the signing of the defensive end from the practice squad to the active roster. Rivers, 29, has not played for the Texans in a regular season game since Dec. 19, 2021 in …

The Houston Texans are giving Derek Rivers a shot.

The club announced Tuesday the signing of the defensive end from the practice squad to the active roster.

Rivers, 29, has not played for the Texans in a regular season game since Dec. 19, 2021 in Week 15 at the Jacksonville Jaguars. Rivers collected 1.0 sack, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, and three tackles as the Texans prevailed 30-16 at TIAA Bank Field.

The former New England Patriots 2017 third-round pick missed all of last season with a torn biceps sustained in preseason. Going from the practice squad to the active roster in Week 2 could be the start of retribution for lost time.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1362]

Texans DE Will Anderson stock soars following Dolphins game

Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson has seen his stock rise following his performance in the 28-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The Houston Texans may have taken a beating collectively in their 28-3 loss to the Miami Dolphins in the second week of preseason, but Will Anderson stood out.

According to Brad Spielberger from Pro Football Focus, the Texans’ rookie defensive end was one of their rookies who stood out after the second week of preseason.

Anderson flashed the brute force that made him the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft when he just bowled over Miami Dolphins running back Salvon Ahmed and forced quarterback Skylar Thompson to cough up the football. Anderson tacked on two defensive stops despite logging just 12 total snaps.

The Texans saw enough from Anderson after a disruptive, athletic display. Along with a special teams snap, Anderson’s afternoon was finished early inside NRG Stadium.

After joint practices with the Dolphins prior to the exhibition contest, the former Alabama product noticed that opponents were underestimating his power. More plays such as these, even in the context of preseason, may have offensive coordinators thinking otherwise when prepping for the Texans.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1365]

WATCH: Texans DE Will Anderson flattens RB to strip-sack Dolphins QB Skylar Thompson

Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson showcased his power as he strip-sacked Miami Dolphins quarterback Skylar Thompson in preseason.

Will Anderson declared that his power was an underrated trait of his game, but it may not be for long.

The Houston Texans’ No. 3 overall pick came off the edge Saturday afternoon against the Miami Dolphins inside NRG Stadium and flattened running back Salvon Ahmed to take down quarterback Skylar Thompson. Along the way, Anderson knocked the ball out of Thompson’s hands and forced the Dolphins’ signal caller to recover the ball at the 12-yard line for a loss of 11 yards.

Anderson produced a solo tackle amid nine defensive snaps in the Texans’ 20-9 win over the New England Patriots last week.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1365]

Texans DE Will Anderson says ‘They sleep on my power’

Houston Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson has noticed offensive linemen presume he is strictly an edge rusher with speed.

The Houston Texans’ joint training camp practices with the Miami Dolphins were beneficial as it gave both rosters a chance to work against guys who don’t have familiarity, which is closer to what an NFL season is truly like.

What Texans rookie defensive end Will Anderson picked up on during the two days of joint sessions with Miami was how the offensive linemen treated him as mostly a speedy edge rusher.

Anderson shared with reporters Aug. 16 how he used other traits to counter his speed.

“Oh, yeah, really because they sleep on my power,” Anderson said. “So, they see me and my front and they’re like, ‘Oh, he’s probably just a speed guy,’ and then boom — I hit them with power as a counter, anything like that. So, it’s just good having that speed to power — a lot of people wouldn’t think that my body type would have that.”

The two-time Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year generated 34.5 sacks over three seasons at Alabama. Most of the sacks were due to the 6-4, 243-pounder’s agility and quickness, although another element remained.

Whether using speed or brawn, Anderson is well aware that hand placement is crucial to setting up his first move, a tenet of coach DeMeco Ryans’ new system.

Said Anderson: “The first step is the most important step — getting off the ball. And your hand placement, Coach [Ryans] always harps on that, having great hands, having great feet. Those two things tie together really well. So, just making sure that your hands are right on the breastplate of the tackle, not getting up too high so that he can get underneath you. Those are things that you watch on film and come back and get better at.”

Anderson will have another opportunity to demonstrate his speed and power as the Texans host the Dolphins for their second preseason game Aug. 19 at NRG Stadium.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=601915565]

Texans DE Will Anderson loves the competition with LT Laremy Tunsil

Houston Texans rookie DE Will Anderson is appreciative of the competition he faces in practice when squaring off with Pro Bowl LT Laremy Tunsil.

The NFL will be the last time Will Anderson starts out on the bottom and needs direction. Naturally the No. 3 overall pick is willing to take it.

Throughout Houston Texans training camp, the rookie defensive end has gone against three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil on the practice fields at Houston Methodist Training Center. Anderson is grateful for the experience in honing his craft against one of the elite pass protectors in the league.

“Going against him every day, he gives me pointers every day,” Anderson told “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast. “If he wins a rep, he’ll smile at me. If I do something good, I smile at him — and I just love that competition.”

Although Tunsil is 6-5, 313 pounds, the athleticism of his game is what impresses Anderson.

“Just as far as the NFL to college — it’s no hands. Offensive linemen aren’t just going to shoot their hands at you. They’re going to be really passive, kind of more finesse. And that’s kind of what he is and why he’s so good is because he can stay square for a really long time on his pass sets.”

According to Anderson, Tunsil also has the ability to guide and misdirect the momentum of his opponents.

Said Anderson: “With L.T., he’s gonna bait you, clamp you up, and hold on to you and just kind of take you wherever he wants to go. But, you know, that’s just the good thing about going against him.”

Tunsil is entering his eighth season and his fifth with the Texans. Houston traded considerable assets to the Miami Dolphins at the end of the 2019 preseason, but it has paid off for the Texans. All three of his Pro Bowl seasons were in Houston, the most recent in 2023 when he started all 17 games.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=601915565]