Tag: Will Anderson Jr

Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. joins elite class in win over Patriots

Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. is well on his way to winning the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2024.

Will Anderson Jr. was always expected to be the foundational piece of DeMeco Ryans’ defense when the Houston Texans traded up nine spots in the 2023 NFL Draft to select him third overall.

Some would argue the former Alabama edge rusher was destined to be this era’s J.J. Watt down off NRG Drvie, though even that’s a high compliment for someone just transitioning to the next level.

On Sunday, Anderson might have taken a step toward being the official heir of the three-time Defensive Player of the Year and a favorite to win the award himself this fall.

Anderson picked up three sacks against  New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye in the Texans’ 41-21 victory at Gillette Stadium, a first for the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year.

“Proud of Will, massive game for him to be able to get off the quarterback the way he did,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Three sacks, also forced an interception there by [Eric] Murray. Just a really, really productive day by him and he stayed out there. Loved his energy, right? From start to finish. He came out.”

On top of three sacks, Anderson also added a tackle for loss against running back Antonio Gibson in the second quarter. Murray’s interception was caused by a batted pass at the line scrimmage after Anderson won his one-on-one battle against New England’s offensive line.

With his performance, Anderson joined Watt as the only player in franchise history to record three sacks, four tackles for loss and a pass deflection in a game. Watt hit the marker twice during his 10-year career with the Texans after being drafted out of Wisconsin in 2011.

While he doesn’t rank among the top three, Anderson’s 5.5 sacks are tied for fifth-most entering Week 7, alongside Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby. His nine tackles for loss currently lead the NFL, as does his 28 QB hits.

Watt, who finished with a franchise-leading 101 career sacks, won Defensive Player of the Year in his second season after totaling 20.5 QB takedowns. Anderson needs 15 more to surpass the total and performances like Sunday could help him reach the goal.

‘The Texans travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers this Sunday at noon CT.

Watch: Texans DE Danielle Hunter records first sack in Houston

Houston Texans marquee signing Danielle Hunter tallied his first sack in a Texans uniform by meeting Will Anderson Jr. in the backfield.

Welcome to NRG Stadium, Danielle Hunter.

Hunter, the Houston Texans’ top defensive addition of the offseason, took down Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams for his first sack in Houston.

Hunter and reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr. met in the backfield to bring down the No. 1 overall pick on third-and-9 for a 10-yard loss.

Hunter, 29, signed a two-year, $49 million deal with Houston in the offseason to chase a Lombardi trophy in his hometown. The former Minnesota Viking grew up in Katy and played high school football at Morton Ranch.

In Houston’s Week 1’s 29-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts ,Hunter tallied two pressures

Last season was a career year for the four-time Pro Bowler, totaling 16.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss, both career highs.

Hunter’s sack limited Chicago to a field goal on its opening drive.

Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. named to 2024 Pro Bowl

Texans rookie Will Anderson will replace Maxx Crosby in the 2024 Pro Bowl.

One day after being named Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America, Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. was named to the 2024 NFL Pro Bowl. He will replace Maxx Crosby from the Las Vegas Raiders, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Anderson, who the Texans selected with the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft out of Alabama, will join teammate left tackle Laremy Tunsil, who was voted a starter earlier this month. He had a phenomenal rookie season, finishing with 45 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, 67 pressures, one pass defensed, and one blocked field goal in 13 starts.

With 7.0 sacks this season, Anderson set a new rookie franchise record for most sacks in a single season, and his quarterback pressure totals paced all rookies in the NFL this year. He is also the first Texans defensive player to make the Pro Bowl since J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, and Benardrick McKinney were selected in 2018. Additionally, Anderson is the third rookie in franchise history to appear in the Pro Bowl, joining Jerome Mathis (2005) and Brian Cushing (2009).

“His mentality – not only does it match up with his talent, but it probably [exceeds] his talent,” said rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud about Anderson. “The tenacious will to win – the grit that he brings to the locker room, and just his personality. His talent is great, don’t get me wrong, but at the same time, if you can match that with what he has, it’s a force to be reckoned with.”

The Pro Bowl will take place in Orlando, Fla., and will span over two days with multiple activities in front of fans. The skills challenges will be broadcast live on Thursday, Feb. 1, on ESPN starting at 7 p.m. ET on the Pro Bowl Skills Show and continue Sunday, Feb. 4, culminating in flag football.

Jaguars ST coordinator Heath Farwell explains blocked field goal error

Heath Farwell explained why there was a crease exploited by Will Anderson Jr. on a blocked field goal.

After a sluggish start for the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, momentum swung even harder in the Houston Texans’ direction when a 51-yard field goal attempt for Brandon McManus was blocked. Instead of cutting the Texans’ lead to 7-3, the visiting team quickly ballooned its lead to 14 points.

To block the kick, the Texans didn’t have a speedy player dive to make the play after bending around the edge. They didn’t have a player jump over the lines. And there wasn’t a Jaguars lineman pancaked on his back by a Houston player bulldozing his way to the kicker.

So why was Texans rookie linebacker Will Anderson Jr. able to squeeze through a gap and make the play?

“The way field goal protection works, everybody has to be in unison,” Jaguars special teams coordinator Heath Farwell explained Thursday. “It’s all interlocked in. When you have one guy that’s off or two guys that are off, you get a little crease.

“Our left tackle who has done a really good job for us so far this season, just got a little leaning forward and didn’t get his outside arm up. His job is to be interlocked in with that tackle, and make sure he has a heavy weight foot as his inside foot, so he doesn’t get pried out. Also, get a good arm hook. When you get a little crease like that, a good rusher like [Anderson], he’s able to get in there.”

While Farwell didn’t name anyone specifically, the issue came when tackles Walker Little and Anton Harrison didn’t work in unison on the left side of the line.

“Just not great execution and that’s on me,” Farwell said. “That’s something we have got to be much cleaner, that’s something we will work on a ton and it’s been addressed. We’re moving forward with it.”

It was one of two massive errors for the Jaguars special teams unit Sunday, as the team also allowed Texans fullback Andrew Beck to break free for an 85-yard kickoff return.

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5 Texans players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 3

Here are five Texans players to watch as the Jaguars look to bounce back in Week 3:

The Jacksonville Jaguars now sit at 1-1 after suffering a loss in their Week 2 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

While they failed to win their home opener, the Jaguars have a prime opportunity to get back in the win column. On Sunday, Jacksonville hosts the Houston Texans, who lost their first two games of the season.

While the Texans have failed to produce a win so far, they’ve shown flashes of talent.

Here are five Texans players who could cause problems for the Jaguars in Week 3:

Report: Saints, Texans to hold joint practices ahead of preseason game

FOX 26 KRIV’s Mark Berman reports that the Saints and Texans plan to hold joint practices ahead of their 2023 preseason game:

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Now this is interesting. FOX 26 KRIV Houston’s Mark Berman first reports that the New Orleans Saints will host the Houston Texans for joint practices ahead of their 2023 preseason game at the Caesars Superdome, giving the Saints an extended look at a team surrounded by intrigue and two high-profile rookie draft picks in quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr.

The third preseason game is traditionally seen as the “dress rehearsal” with the most minutes played by the starters, so the Saints should come out of this experience with a very strong idea of what Stroud, Anderson, and their teammates bring to the table. Joint workouts like these are valuable learning experiences for all involved, giving players and coaches an opportunity to evaluate their team against new opponents after a rigorous training camp full of the same matchups day in and day out.

These joint practices typically run two days before the preseason game, and the Saints are also planning on meeting with the Los Angeles Chargers out west when they visit for another exhibition game on Aug. 20. Fans are often welcome to attend but no announcement has been made by the team just yet, so stay tuned.

So that’s two of their three preseason opponents agreeing to share the practice field; New Orleans opens the exhibition series against the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 13, but no joint workouts are scheduled yet.

Kickoff with the Texans is currently scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Aug. 27 at the Caesars Superdome, but here’s another added wrinkle: the Saints will fly out to play against the Texans about a month later for a game at NRG Stadium in Houston on Oct. 15. Guarding rookie quarterbacks like Stroud can be a challenge given the scarcity of game tape against NFL defenses, but the Saints could enjoy the benefits of multiple practices and a preseason game before with Stroud before that matchup in Week 6.

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Texans draft C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr with back-to-back picks

While the Jaguars are sitting and waiting, the Texans made a big splash at the top of the draft.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are sitting near the bottom of the order at the 2023 NFL draft and have to spend the early portion of the evening watching their division rivals add players.

That started with the Houston Texans swinging for the fences at the top of the draft class.

After picking Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall selection, the Texans pulled off a major trade with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire the third overall selection. They used their second top three pick to take Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.

It wasn’t a cheap move for the Texans, who gave up a haul that included a 2024 first-rounder:

There were rumors that the Tennessee Titans were discussing a trade with the Cardinals, but that didn’t come to fruition.

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Detroit Lions to host Will Anderson Jr. ahead of 2023 NFL draft

Will Anderson Jr. will visit the Detroit Lions just weeks before the 2023 NFL draft is scheduled to begin.

The Detroit Lions will reportedly be hosting former Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. for a visit just a few weeks before the 2023 NFL draft.

Anderson has only taken one other visit this offseason, which was to the Houston Texans. Only having two visits is a bit of a surprise considering he is projected to be selected within the first 10 picks of the draft.

The Lions currently hold pick No. 6 and are one of only a few teams in the top 10 that are not in need of a quarterback.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Anderson and other former Alabama players as the 2023 NFL draft process winds down.

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Report: Saints met with top 2023 draft prospect Will Anderson Jr.

Tide 100.9 FM’s Aidan Dollins reports the Saints met with Alabama star pass rusher Will Anderson Jr., the top prospect in the 2023 NFL draft:

Huh. Well there’s something. Will Anderson Jr. stood on his numbers from the NFL Scouting Combine at Alabama’s pro day on Thursday, but he did speak with the media on hand when he wasn’t busy shaking hands with the dozens of pro personnel in attendance. And he told Tide 100.9 FM co-host Aidan Dollins that one of the teams he met with most recently is the New Orleans Saints, along with two teams picking in the top 10 of the 2023 NFL draft (the Seattle Seahawks at No. 5 and the Chicago Bears at No. 9), among “a couple other teams.” It appears he’s in high demand.

For context, and just in case you forgot, Anderson is the top prospect in the 2023 draft class. Not top-10, not top-5; he’s the clear-cut consensus best player available, though positional value puts quarterbacks like his Alabama teammate Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud ahead of him on some rankings. If either of them had stayed in school another year he’d be the second overall draft pick at worst.

The 6-foot-3, 253 pounder has racked up 65, 82, and 60 quarterback pressures in three years for Nick Saban’s defense while racking up 34.5 sacks and 58.5 tackles for loss in just 41 career games, using his 33 7/8-inch arms to bring down quarterback after quarterback and keep opposing blockers off of him. He ran the 40-yard dash in just 4.6 seconds with a blazing 10-yard split of 1.61 seconds. It would be nice to have a full athletic profile with agility testing and explosiveness scores, but that wouldn’t exactly help him get drafted any higher than he’s expected to go already.

So, uh, why are the Saints even bothering to talk to him? Could they be looking to push all their chips in and trade all the way up from No. 29, seeing him as their missing piece from a Super Bowl championship? They sure do need more pass rushers, but probably not.

Almost certainly not. Anderson didn’t discuss the depth and content of that conversation; it could’ve been as simple as a Saints scout or position coach asking him about one of his teammates or getting a contact number should they want to have a longer chat later on. By the time the draft rolls around nearly every team has met with almost every player, including teams like the Saints who are picking at the end of the first round and prospects like Anderson who are projected to be picked at the beginning of it.

But it’s good to be prepared. Crazy things can happen on draft day. No one predicted that Laremy Tunsil would be available at No. 13 overall back in 2016. The Saints met with Ed Oliver in 2019, when they didn’t even own a first-round pick. Their intentions are their own. But hey, it sure does make draft season more exciting. This is the phase on the NFL calendar when spicy rumors and speculation are all the rage. And the spice must flow.

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Will Anderson posts an official 4.60 40-yard dash time

Will Anderson blows his 40-yard dash out of the water with remarkable time!

Of all of the players who have come through Tuscaloosa and Nick Saban’s program, it will be hard to find anyone who has bought in more than Will Anderson Jr. did. Anderson has always handled his career with the utmost professionalism whether it be on the field, in workouts or just on campus.

So it should come as no surprise to the Crimson Tide faithful that Anderson absolutely crushed his combine, and specifically his 40-yard dash time. Anderson is technically an EDGE rusher but was lumped in with the linebackers and still put up a remarkable time of 4.60 seconds. A time that had scouts all across the league buzzing.

Scouts have been salivating at Anderson’s length and athleticism all week and have been drawing comparisons to Demarcus Ware and Khalil Mack, both of who turned out to be phenomenal players in the NFL. It’s hard for Anderson to improve his draft stock as he is already a top-five lock, yet, he continues to find ways to impress the scouts.

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