GREAT EXPECTATIONS
2 undeniable x-factors that will determine success for Texans prized rookie
May 15, 2023, 7:02 pm
The sky is the limit for Will Anderson. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images
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Will Anderson Jr. feels ready to make the jump from college football to the NFL and a big reason for that is because of how he was prepared with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
“It just kind of makes me versatile,” Anderson told reporters over the weekend. “I am very excited. However they want to use me is just going to be anything I kind of did at Alabama, so you know, I am super excited.”
With the Texans trading up to select Anderson at No. 3, there will be a lot of eyeballs on his performance throughout the season. While every player is different, and there are various factors that will go into it, there will be a certain level of production that is going to be expected from the top prospect during the 2023 season.
But what exactly could be deemed successful for Anderson’s rookie campaign?
Anderson is going to be utilized as a true defensive end by the Texans. While with the Crimson Tide Anderson spent most of his time prior to snaps on two feet, he will be starting plays in three-point stances oftentimes with Houston, head coach DeMeco Ryans mentioned during his weekend availability with media.
While the change in itself will be an adjustment for Anderson, it is not going to be enough to temper expectations for Houston fans.
The last high draft pick the Texans took at defensive end was in 2014 when they selected Jadeveon Clowney as the No. 1 overall pick. Clowney didn’t have the best rookie season as he played in only four games and tallied just seven total tackles.
Whether fair or not, the chatter around the No. 1 overall pick following his rookie year revolved around his inability to stay on the field, and it was something Clowney was never truly ever to shake off during his tenure with the Texans.
In comparison, when Houston took J.J. Watt No. 11 overall in 2011, he played all 16 games. He tallied 56 total tackles and 5.5 sacks, and he was considered a key piece in Houston’s top defense that year as the Texans clinched a playoff berth for the first time in franchise history.
Looking at last year’s draft, the No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker had 3.5 sacks for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Detroit’s top pick, No. 2 overall selection Aidan Hutchinson, had 9.5 sacks for the Lions in 2022.
Hutchinson was in the conversation for the 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year while Walker was not.
Heading into 2023, most Texans fans will want Anderson to be in the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year conversation if not the outright winner because of the draft picks the team gave up to select him. That is one factor to consider when deeming his rookie season a success.
Anderson will be compared to other defensive ends in the draft including the Las Vegas Raiders’ Tyree Wilson and Philadelphia’s Jalen Carter. When the 2023 season is all said and done, there will be two factors that determine the success of Anderson’s season — impact and availability.
Expecting 9.5 sacks for Anderson on a defense that struggled to create pressure on opposing quarterbacks in 2022 might not be the best watermark to gauge the success of a rookie season. Again, Watt had 5.5 sacks his first year in the league.
A number anywhere between four and eight sacks should be considered a success, especially if he is impacting opposing offenses on a consistent basis, whether it be with tackles for loss, batted passes and quarterback hurries.
For Anderson himself, the focus is on being intentional with his moves, swarming to the ball and having a relentless mindset, he said. Anderson wants to hone his go-to moves, footwork, and hand placement.
“There is no pressure,” Anderson said. “Just come in here and be you, have fun, bring energy and just be together. I think that is the biggest thing that they harp on that I am understanding, is that there is no pressure. You’ve been playing football all your whole life. You are just going out there and doing what you like to do.”
What looked like a minor blip after an emotional series win in Los Angeles has turned into something more concerning for the Houston Astros.
Swept at home by a Guardians team that came in riding a 10-game losing streak, the Astros were left looking exposed. Not exhausted, as injuries, underperformance, and questionable decision-making converged to hand Houston one of its most frustrating series losses of the year.
Depth finally runs dry
It would be easy to point to a “Dodger hangover” as the culprit, the emotional peak of an 18-1 win at Chavez Ravine followed by a mental lull. But that’s not the story here.
Houston’s energy was still evident, especially in the first two games of the series, where the offense scored five or more runs each time. Including those, the Astros had reached that mark in eight of their last 10 games heading into Wednesday’s finale.
But scoring isn’t everything, not when a lineup held together by duct tape and desperation is missing Christian Walker and Jake Meyers and getting critical at-bats from Cooper Hummel, Zack Short, and other journeymen.
The lack of depth finally showed. The Astros, for three days, looked more like a Triple-A squad with Jose Altuve and a couple big-league regulars sprinkled in.
Cracks in the pitching core
And the thing that had been keeping this team afloat, elite pitching, finally buckled.
Hunter Brown and Josh Hader, both dominant all season, finally cracked. Brown gave up six runs in six innings, raising his pristine 1.82 ERA to 2.21. Hader wasn’t spared either, coughing up a game-losing grand slam in extra innings that inflated his ERA from 1.80 to 2.38 in one night.
But the struggles weren’t isolated. Bennett Sousa, Kaleb Ort, and Steven Okert each gave up runs at critical moments. The bullpen’s collective fade could not have come at a worse time for a team already walking a tightrope.
Injury handling under fire
Houston’s injury management is also drawing heat, and rightfully so. Jake Meyers, who had been nursing a calf strain, started Wednesday’s finale. He didn’t even make it through one pitch before aggravating the injury and needing to be helped off the field.
No imaging before playing him. No cautionary rest despite the All-Star break looming. Just a rushed return in a banged-up lineup, and it backfired immediately.
Second-guessing has turned to outright criticism of the Astros’ medical staff, as fans and analysts alike wonder whether these mounting injuries are being made worse by how the club is handling them.
Pressure mounts on Dana Brown
All eyes now turn to Astros GM Dana Brown. The Astros are limping into the break with no clear reinforcements on the immediate horizon. Only Chas McCormick is currently rehabbing in Sugar Land. Everyone else? Still sidelined.
Brown will need to act — and soon.
At a minimum, calling up top prospect Brice Matthews makes sense. He’s been mashing in Triple-A (.283/.400/.476, 10 HR, .876 OPS) and could play second base while Jose Altuve shifts to left field more regularly. With Mauricio Dubón stretched thin between shortstop and center, injecting Matthews’ upside into the infield is a logical step.
*Editor's note: The Astros must be listening, Matthews was called up Thursday afternoon!
The Astros are calling up Brice Matthews, their top prospect on @MLBPipeline
via @brianmctaggart pic.twitter.com/K91cGKkcx6
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 10, 2025
There’s also trade chatter, most notably about Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins, but excitement has been tepid. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but compared to who the Astros are fielding now, Mullins would be a clear upgrade and a much-needed big-league presence.
A final test before the break
Before the All-Star reset, Houston gets one last chance to stabilize the ship, and it comes in the form of a rivalry series against the Texas Rangers. The Astros will send their top trio — Lance McCullers Jr., Framber Valdez, and Hunter Brown — to the mound for a three-game set that will test their resolve, their health, and perhaps their postseason aspirations.
The Silver Boot is up for grabs. So is momentum. And maybe, clarity on just how far this version of the Astros can go.
There's so much more to discuss! Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday.
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