Houston Texans defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver will be helped along by talented, proven edge rushers in his first year in defensive end J.J. Watt and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
However, Weaver, who has been the team’s defensive line coach since 2016, is well aware of the other edge defenders who may not be household names, and how they can impact the rest of the unit.
“We have a bunch of talented rushers on the roster,” Weaver told Houston reporters on a video conference Wednesday. “The beauty for me is that I’ve got to find ways to put them in the best place to be successful.”
What Weaver has seen in practice and also reviewing film in the offseason is that the Texans have pass rushers who can win one-on-one battles with blockers.
“We have guys that can win one-on-ones,” said Weaver. “Now we’ve just got to put the pieces in the right spots.”
The Texans finished with 31 sacks in 2019, tied with the Cincinnati Bengals for the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Mercilus led the team with 7.5.
However, it won’t just be Mercilus and Watt, who missed eight games with a torn pectoral, that have to return to high levels of production. Younger players such as defensive end Charles Omenihu, who enters his second season, third-year outside linebacker Jacob Martin, and outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor have to find ways to continue their development. These pieces will be helped along by veteran contributors such as Brennan Scarlett and rookies like third-rounder Jonathan Greenard.
“We’ve got guys that can get to the quarterback and it’s all about what we can do schematically to help present those matchups so they can be successful,” Weaver said.
A formidable pass rush also helps in generating turnovers. The Texans defense created 22 takeaways last season, tied with Washington for the 15th-most in the NFL.
