When DeMeco Ryans accepted the Houston Texans head coaching job, many people thought it was going to be a multi-year rebuild. He was the fourth different head coach the team was going to have in four seasons, five if you count Romeo Crennel’s interim stint in place of Bill O’Brien in 2020.
It was a roster that was seemingly lacking talent on both sides of the ball that needed to be built from the ground up. Shockingly, it took no time at all for Ryans to get things on the right path.
The Texans were the biggest surprise of the 2023 season. After winning only 11 games the previous three seasons before he got there, Houston won 10 last season and took home the AFC South crown.
They defeated the Cleveland Browns in the postseason and gave the Baltimore Ravens a real fight for the first half of their Divisional Round matchup.
Heading into the 2024 season, more strides are expected to be taken. The team was aggressive in adding talent to the roster this offseason, acquiring several veterans to help push the team to that next level.
On offense, their biggest additions were wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon. They were both acquired in trades from the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively.
That is two more weapons for star quarterback and Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud to work with. He has an embarrassment of riches at the skill positions with wide receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell and tight end Dalton Schultz.
Defensively, reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson has a new bookend to get after the opposing quarterback with. The team signed Danielle Hunter in free agency away from the Minnesota Vikings.
Given how much talent Ryans has to work with, NFL executives believe he will be taking home some hardware this season. As shared by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, front office personnel believes he will win the Coach of the Year award.
“He’s got natural leadership qualities that people gravitate toward, and that’s shown really early,” an NFL personnel man said. “And his team is loaded.”
Rapidly, Ryans, who played six seasons with the Houston Texans as a linebacker, has turned the franchise around. They were a bottom feeder without a direction when he got there and are now a rising contender in the AFC.
