Here's why Derek Stingley Jr. will be a "cornerstone" player for Houston Texans
FRANCHISE-DEFINING PLAYER
29 April 2022
FRANCHISE-DEFINING PLAYER
Field Yates, Jason Fitz, Mina Kimes and Domonique Foxworth react to the Texans drafting Derek Stingley with their first pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Though some viewed the Texans' selection as a reach, that's not the case with this group of analyst.
They love the pick for Houston, and former NFL CB Domonique Foxworth said he would have drafted Stingley over Sauce Gardner too, citing Stingley's ability to play man coverage and intercept the football. Mina Kimes goes on to call Stingley a "cornerstone" player, and compliments the Texans' draft strategy. Be sure to check out the short video above, they're actually saying positive things about the Texans!
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!