The Houston Texans had 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 has taken a look at defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, running back Devin Singletary, rookie receiver Tank Dell, and veteran tackle George Fant, and upstart linebacker Blake Cashman.
Entering the top 10, we took a closer look at cornerback Steven Nelson and linebacker Christian Harris, and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, and franchise left tackle Laremy Tunsil.
Before entering the top-5, cornerback Derek Stingley makes an appearance after a breakout 2023 campaign.
Background
Derek Stingley was selected third overall in the 2022 NFL draft as a cornerstone defensive piece for head coach Lovie Smith and the first significant draft investment by general manager Nick Caserio.
Stingley was billed as one of, if not the most, talented players in his draft class but his play had steadily declined since his phenomenal All-American freshman year at LSU. For all of his physical gifts and production, the biggest questions facing Stingley as a professional would revolve around durability.
It wasn’t exactly a smooth start.
He played in just nine of 17 games in 2022 and, although he flashed when on the field, it was hard for Houston to feel great about their investment as they watched New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, who had been selected one pick later, thrive as an All-Pro during his rookie campaign.
In 15 career games Derek Stingley has 5 INTs.
In 28 career games Sauce Gardner has 2 INTs.#WeAreTexans— Paul Gallant (@GallantSays) December 3, 2023
Stingley entered 2023 under new head coach DeMeco Ryans with heightened expectations. Many were hopeful Stingley would take significant steps forward in Ryans’ scheme that would be more aggressive in utilizing his talents compared to Smith’s conservative Cover-2 heavy scheme.
2023 Performance
It was a rocky start for Stingley, injuries struck again and he required an early stint on the injured reserve from Weeks 3 through 9.
However, once activated during Week 10, it took little time for Stingley to show he could be one of the most impactful cornerbacks in football.
Stingley had five interceptions over Houston’s final nine games of the season and was, by all accounts, a lockdown corner. His abilities in man-to-man coverage were shown off by the quarters coverage-heavy scheme employed by Ryans and his talents allowed for unique coverage combinations that had fans gasping. One particular handoff with safety Jalen Pitre that led to an interception was one of the most impressive defensive plays of the entire season.
Maybe the smoothest INT I’ve ever seen in-person. Stingley seemed to almost bait Sutton on this. #Texans
Pitre bites on the double-move & Stingley times the ball perfectly. 🐝 pic.twitter.com/LwfU6cB2Si
— Shaun Bijani (@ShaunBijani) December 4, 2023
The Texans’ playoff run allowed for a further emergence of Stingley and for the NFL world to truly see his talents. Ryans unleashed a new version of the cornerback when, rather than playing sides, he began to allow Stingley to travel with the opposing best wide receiver starting with Amari Cooper against the Cleveland Browns. He held Cooper to no catches and the next week locked down Baltimore Ravens receiver Zay Flowers.
It was a unique schematic wrinkle that few teams can employ and one that truly allowed the Texans defense to fuel their unexpected playoff victory.
2024 Projection
Stingley will enter 2024 as the unquestioned top cornerback for the Texans and the most talented player in their secondary.
It will be a wait-and-see situation if Ryans continues to utilize his ability to lock down opposing wide receivers but, regardless of implementation, the ability for Houston to pivot towards that on defense will be a threat that opposing offenses are required to account for as long as he is healthy.
Derek Stingley lined up across from Zay Flowers on 85.7% of his routes yesterday.
He surrendered just 2 catches for 22 yards on 3 targets.
Feels safe to say his ability to shadow is one DeMeco Ryans will incorporate consistently next year in Houston's defense #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) January 21, 2024
Steven Nelson, the opposite corner of Stingley in 2023, is not expected to return to Houston. As such, the Texans will be hunting a replacement and it’s quite possible that Stingley will need to mentor a rookie that is selected on Day 1 or Day 2 of the draft.
Regardless of team performance, Stingley’s role is set. He looks like one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL and can set himself up nicely to be paid as such with a strong performance next season.
Hopefully, it can be his first full healthy season of 17 games and he can continue to be the difference maker that allowed the Texans defense to truly evolve in the latter half of this past year.
