DeMeco's presser was electric. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images.
The Houston Texans hit a home run with the hiring of DeMeco Ryans to be the franchise’s next head coach.
For the first time in a long time, there is a sense of optimism with the organization. Ryans’ introductory press conference only solidified that.
Ryans said it was a “no-brainer” to choose the Texans over any other head coaching gig in the league. It is a homecoming for the former linebacker that was selected by Houston in the 2006 draft. This is his dream job, and his level of commitment to rebuild the team to prominence is infectious.
When general manager Nick Caserio and owner Cal McNair met him during their Zoom interview a few weeks back, they both caught the Ryans fever. It was one of the most impressive interviews they’ve ever had, Caserio told reporters on Thursday.
Even though San Francisco was just a few days away from playing the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, Ryans knew where he wanted to be for the 2023 season and beyond.
“I want to come home. This is my dream job. Let’s make this thing happen,” were the parting words Ryans told McNair and Caserio at the end of their meeting.
From that point on, it was a matter of waiting.
Since then, it appears a majority of the city has caught the Ryans fever too. Fans and followers of the Texans almost unanimously approve of the move. Even former players have it as well. NRG Stadium was filled with notable former Texans, including Andre Johnson and Brian Cushing, on Thursday. Numerous current players also showed up.
Now the real work begins
Houston has a lot of work to do with numerous resources to help. With two first-round draft picks and a plethora of draft capital and cap space over the coming years to go along with it, Ryans will be tasked with helping lead the team back to relevance.
He will not do it alone. One of the biggest lessons he’s learned in his young coaching career is that it is all about collaboration with the front office, Ryans said. It is something that must be music to Caserio’s ears.
Ryans and Caserio will be looking for players that play with precision, effort, and physicality. Ryans, who has starred as a defensive coordinator in his young coaching career, even has a vision for the Texans’ offense too.
Ryans want to own the line of scrimmage. He wants the team to establish the run game first, but he also wants to be balanced and be able to operate with play action and be efficient.
When it comes to coaching, Ryans knows he needs to be adaptable. That goes for everyone he brings into the organization. He wants a diverse coaching staff, and what he means by that is having coaches with different levels of experience. He wants coaches that are great teachers. He wants guys that are positive and that can connect with players.
Ultimately, a reason why a lot of people have the Ryans fever is because for the first time in a long time, it seems like the Texans have a plan. They have a specific vision. Above all else, Ryans wants to be here just as much as Houston supporters want him to succeed.
“We want to bring a winning team,” Ryans said. “That is what we want to bring to Houston. We want to bring you guys a team that you’re going to be proud of as fans. We want to fill up NRG Stadium and we want you guys to truly make this a home field advantage for us again.”
The Houston Texans addressed their most glaring needs by selecting offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery and a pair of Iowa State receivers in the NFL draft.
“The idea was to try to add good players, good people that are young, tough, hungry, that want to win, that put the team first,” general manager Nick Caserio said. “These picks exemplify that.”
The Texans got players that could help them quickly despite not picking in the first round for a second straight season. They didn’t have a first-round pick last year because of trades, including the one to move up and get defensive end Will Anderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 draft.
This season they shipped the 25th overall pick to the Giants on Thursday in exchange for several picks.
Their first selection in this draft was receiver Jayden Higgins, who was taken with the second pick of the second round. They added Ersery later in the second round with the 48th overall selection and picked up Higgins’ teammate Jaylin Noel in the third round.
Ersery could be Houston’s left tackle of the future after the offseason trade of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Ersery started 38 games at left tackle over three seasons at Minnesota where he was a third-team All-American last season.
He comes to Houston to help shore up a line that allowed C.J. Stroud to be sacked 52 times last season, which was the second most in the NFL.
The Texans added veteran tackle Cam Robinson this offseason and Ersery will compete with him to protect Stroud’s blind side as the Texans attempt to reach the playoffs for a third straight season under coach DeMeco Ryans.
The 6-foot-6, 331-pound Ersery, who was the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year last season, can’t wait to play with Stroud.
“C.J. Stroud is a baller,” Ersery said. “I’m so honored to be a guy to help out and come in and help protect him. I’m just super stoked and I know I’m going to a great organization.”
Cyclones teammates
Higgins and Noel join the Texans to add more depth at receiver to complement star Nico Collins with Tank Dell recovering from a serious knee injury and Stefon Diggs gone to the Patriots.
Higgins, who has been compared to Collins, had 87 receptions for 1,183 yards and nine touchdowns last season for the Cyclones and Noel added 80 catches for 1,194 yards and eight scores.
After Higgins was drafted, Noel never imagined he’d be heading to Houston, too. He shared on social media a fortune he received from a Chinese restaurant that read: “Look forward to an unplanned reunion with an out-of-touch friend.”
Noel later shared his feelings about joining Higgins on the roster.
“I was surprised,” Noel said. “But they’ve seen that 1-2 punch all year. They’re going to be very happy with those selections for sure.”
Caserio said a talk with Iowa State coach Matt Campbell on Friday helped him make his final decisions on the receivers.
“He was effusive in his… belief and praise of both Higgins and Noel,” Caserio said.
The Texans now have three receivers from Iowa State on their roster after drafting Xavier Hutchinson in the sixth round in 2023.
Overcoming obstacles
Ersery and his four siblings were raised by a single mother and experienced homelessness when he was a child despite her working multiple jobs. He is thrilled to have put those struggles behind him as he embarks on his next chapter.
“I’ve got that hardworking mentality from her,” he said. “So, growing up times were tough but now I’ve got my foot in the door and I look forward to trying to change some things around.”
Caserio loves guys with work ethic like Ersery’s and said that’s one reason why they believe he’ll fit in with the Texans.
“If you come in and put your head down and work and just get better, take advantage of your opportunities, you’re going to have a shot to have success and do a lot of good things for the organization,” he said.
What’s in a name?
Along with Noel, the Texans added another Jaylin in this draft with they picked USC cornerback Jaylin Smith in the third round.
“We got Jaylins, and we got all these guys around. It’s going to be hard to keep them straight,” Caserio joked on Friday after they picked Smith.
Then on Saturday, the Texans added another player with the same name, albeit with a different spelling, when they took Penn State safety Jaylen Reed in the sixth round.
That gives them four players with the same name and three different spellings as the three rookies join starting safety Jalen Pitre on the team.
Doubling up
Along with drafting two players from Iowa State, the Texans also added a pair of players from Southern California when they picked running back Woody Marks in the fourth round after drafting Smith in the third.
Marks ran for a career-high 1,133 yards with nine touchdowns for the Trojans last season after transferring from Mississippi State.
Be sure to watch the video below as NFL.com Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein shares his thoughts on all the Texans' picks!