Tag: Will Anderson Jr.

The Texans are better than you think, and it’s not just about C.J. Stroud

The Houston Texans are better than you think as a team, which means that it’s about more then just C.J. Stroud.

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When the Houston Texans started the 2023 season 0-2 with losses to the Baltimore Ravens and the Indianapolis Colts, it seemed as if Houston’s NFL franchise would be nothing but an interesting footnote with new head coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud. Coming off a 3-13-1 2022 season as they had, the Texans went all-out in the draft, taking Ohio State’s Stroud with the second overall pick, and trading up to select Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. with the third overall pick. Ryans and general manager Nick Caserio also made some interesting free-agency moves, and took Houston speed receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell, but in those first two games, the Texans still looked worlds away from competitive status.

What a difference a couple of months can make. The Texans have won five of their last seven games since that 0-2 start, Ryans and his staff seem to have multiplied and maximized the efforts of just about every player on the roster, and Stroud has graduated from a college quarterback with some question marks about his NFL potential to one of the best quarterbacks in the league, regardless of tenure.

Stroud is the force multiplier for the Texans in conjunction with offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, but is this team good enough to get to the playoffs and make noise there? Houston has had one of the league’s tougher schedules this season, and they close out the 2023 regular season with games against the Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, NEw York Jets, Tennessee Titans, and the Colts. So, it’s a legitimate question, and when you look at the Texans’ entire squad, there’s more than just Stroud to talk about. In truth, the Texans are performing over their projections at just about every position, and they’re doing so with a lot of players you may not even know. 

“For us and our team and where we are, we’re still just grinding one week at a time,” Ryans said Monday, one day after his team beat the Cincinnati Bengals in a 30-27 last-second thriller. “Really focused on us and focused on getting better. From our game yesterday, I really loved the fact that everyone contributed to the win. I think that’s the most impressive thing to me about that game. True team win. Everybody stepping up, everybody made a play. If you were up in that game, you made a play, and that’s the cool part about our team is that it doesn’t matter who is out there, we expect everyone to do their best, play to the best of their ability, play fast, play physical, and that’s what you saw from our entire team yesterday.”

More and more, it’s what we’re seeing from the Texans week in and week out as things come together for them.

So, it’s time to focus on the feature question: Who are these guys, anyway, and why are they winning all of a sudden?

It’s about more than the quarterback.

Biggest storylines for Panthers vs. Texans in Week 8

There’s plenty to keep an eye on when Bryce Young and the Panthers host C.J. Stroud and the Texans in Week 8.

Uh, there’s a ton going on at Bank of America Stadium this Sunday. There’ll be a marquee matchup under center, a new man calling the plays and a couple of legends even taking their rightful place in franchise lore.

For that and more, check out our top storylines for the Week 8 showdown between the Carolina Panthers and Houston Texans:

Former Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. eager to face former Alabama teammate

Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. made it clear that he is eager to face off against former Alabama teammate Bryce Young on Sunday afternoon.

The Houston Texans will take on the Carolina Panthers in a Week 8 showdown between two former Alabama teammates. Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. will face off against Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. It will be the first time that the two suit up against one another since they played together at Alabama.

Anderson Jr. seemed eager to play against Young when asked by the media about the matchup.

“That’s all that’s been going through my mind is ‘I get a chance to hit Bryce Young.’ It’s going to be a great challenge for us. Me and Bryce go way back. We started school together, so it’s going to be fun.”

Both Anderson Jr. and Young have played key roles for their respective teams so far this season. The two rookies are cornerstone pieces for both franchises for the long haul.

Anderson Jr. has recorded 24 tackles and one sack this season. Young has thrown for 967 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions. Both have come into their own over the last few weeks.

It will be fun for Alabama fans to sit back and watch two former Crimson Tide teammates go at it on Sunday afternoon!

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow former Alabama players in the NFL as well as other news surrounding the Alabama football program.

Tracking Jalen Carter’s path to NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year entering Week 6

We’re ranking the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates and tracking Philadelphia #Eagles’ defensive tackle Jalen Carter’s chances ahead of Week 6

Jalen Carter was the initial first-round pick to sign his rookie deal.

Before the season, the former Georiga All-American manifested huge goals, and through four weeks in Sean Desai’s system, he’s on his way toward a triumphant affirmation.

Carter wants to win the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award and heading into a Week 6 matchup against the Jets and Quinnen Williams at MetLife Stadim,  the defensive tackle has staked his claim to that award and a potential Pro Bowl and All-Pro nomination.

We’re tracking Carter’s path to winning the award from now until Week 17, and ahead of Sunday’s game against the Jets, it’s Carter’s award to lose after the Christian Gonzalez injury news from two weeks ago.

Tracking Jalen Carter’s path to NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award entering Week 5

We’re ranking the 2024 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates and tracking Philadelphia #Eagles’ defensive tackle Jalen Carter’s chances

Jalen Carter was the initial first-round pick to sign his rookie deal.

Before the season, the former Georiga All-American manifested huge goals, and through four weeks in Sean Desai’s system, he’s on his way toward a triumphant affirmation.

Carter wants to win the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and heading into a Week 5 matchup against the Rams and Aaron Donald at Sofi Stadim,  the defensive tackle has staked his claim to that award and a potential Pro Bowl and All-Pro nomination.

We’re tracking Carter’s path to winning the award from now until Week 17, and ahead of Sunday’s game against the Rams, it’s Carter’s award to lose after the Christian Gonzalez injury news.

Tracking Jalen Carter’s path to NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award entering Week 4

We’re ranking the 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates and tracking Philadelphia #Eagles’ defensive tackle Jalen Carter’s chances via @Thacover2NFL

Jalen Carter was the initial first-round pick to sign his rookie deal.

Before the season, the former Georiga All-American manifested huge goals, and through three weeks in Sean Desai’s system, he’s on his way toward a triumphant affirmation.

Carter wants to win the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and heading into a Week 4 matchup against Washington at Lincoln Financial Field, the defensive tackle has staked his claim to that award and a potential Pro Bowl and All-Pro nomination.

We’re tracking Carter’s path to winning the award from now until Week 17, and ahead of Sunday’s game against the Commanders, it’s Carter’s award to lose.

Will Anderson Jr. relates playing with C.J. Stroud to playing with Bryce Young

Will Anderson Jr. says having a QB like C.j. Stroud is like playing with Bryce Young.

Will Anderson Jr. isn’t one to bask in the limelight. He allows his work on the field to do the talking while giving his team’s quarterback to be the center of attention. He’s already exhibited that as an NFL player.

Recently, Anderson made sure his new quarterback for the Houston Texans, Ohio State alum and fellow rookie, C.J. Stroud, gave the first opening press statement.

Anderson also stated that having Stroud at quarterback allows him to feel somewhat relaxed.

“Let me tell you something, I love this,” said Anderson. “I felt like this at Alabama. When you got a QB like them you can just sit back, relax, and let them do everything.”

At Alabama, Anderson was allowed to shine on the defensive side of the ball, because he knew the offense was well taken care of under the stardom of Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young. Now, in Houston, he apparently feels as if the team is being operated in a similar fashion.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Anderson, Young and other former Alabama players now in the NFL as the offseason progresses.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

Rookie Stat Projections: Houston Texans EDGE Will Anderson Jr.

Will Anderson Jr. is expected to have a huge rookie season. See his stat projections.

Will Anderson Jr. was one of the most dominant defensive players in college football. At times, it appeared as if the game was too easy for him. For that reason, many believe he will seamlessly adjust to playing at the professional level.

The Houston Texans traded up to No. 3 to select the outside linebacker, and are expecting an immediate return on that investment. As a rookie, he could be a leader of this defense.

Natalie Miller of Draft Wire recently put together projections for the Texans’ rookie class and had some very reasonable expectations for Anderson.

Miller has him landing 13 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.

“Houston shocked the NFL world by trading back up to the number three selection to nab the top pass rusher in the class in Will Anderson, but they did it for good reason,” writes Miller. “Anderson has been the best pass rusher in college football over the past few seasons, and he will likely be the focal point of this DeMeco Ryans defense. Expect a productive season from the rookie.”

I believe being selected by the Texans was the best possible outcome for Anderson in the 2023 draft. He will see the field immediately, gets to work with a former Alabama player head coach that places an emphasis on the defense and is in a wide-open division. The sky is the limit for Anderson as a rookie.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

Will Anderson Jr. meets celebrities courtside at Lakers-Nuggets playoff game

The former Alabama linebacker hasn’t played a snap in the NFL yet but is already laughing it up with some of the biggest celebrities!

Former Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. was just recently selected third overall by the Houston Texans in the 2023 NFL draft, and he is already enjoying some of the limelight.

After rookie Texans’ rookie minicamp concluded earlier this month, Anderson decided to take in some basketball in Southern California. He was spotted courtside at the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets Western Conference Finals matchup.

Anderson was accompanied by fellow first-round pick, Bijan Robinson, who was selected No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Falcons out of Texas.

Videos surfaced online of Anderson and Robinson enjoying their time at the game, sharing laughs with some of the world’s biggest stars like singer Adele, and actor Denzel Washington, who even shouts out Alabama.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Will Anderson Jr. as he begins his NFL journey in 2023.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM. 

PHOTO GALLERY: Will Anderson Jr. takes the field for Houston Texans practice

Check out Will Anderson Jr. with his new team, the Houston Texans, as he prepares for his rookie season.

Former Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. was selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Texans. While it was all smiles to celebrate making it to the NFL, it’s now time to get to work and prepare for his rookie season.

The Texans are a rather young team in the midst of a rebuild, but expectations are still high for Anderson, as he could be the leader of the defense in his first season.

Anderson is already out on the field and training with the Texans at minicamp. It should be an interesting first year for the former Crimson Tide standout defender, and Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow him as he gets ready for season No. 1 in the NFL.