Everything Houston Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. said following Day 1 of minicamp

Here’s everything Houston Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. said following Day 1 of minicamp, including the growth of young defenders like Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock, along with the addition of Reed Blankenship to the secondary.

Question: On the specific areas of growth in his game and goals he has as an individual and as a team

Derek Stingley Jr. : “I feel like I’m a little bit quicker right now. I’ve just still got to work on my feet, hands, and eyes. Whether that’s the beginning of the route or the end of the route. I got to make sure I catch all the ones that come my way. And then as a team, I feel like we just got to keep stacking on defense, make sure we got communication. I know we got a couple of new pieces, but they just stepped up since we’ve been out here on the field, they just stepped up, kept doing work to the level that they should be at.

Q: On becoming a father and how that will impact how he plays

Stingley: “I know I’m playing for my son. It’s crazy, I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just crazy.”

Q: On the addition of S Reed Blankenship to the defense and what he has seen from him in practice so far

Stingley: “Yeah, as soon as he stepped out there, he meshed well with everybody. He’s out there communicating, he knows how to converse with everybody off the field, nothing’s forced, he’s being himself, and I think he going to make a lot of plays just like he [has] been doing everywhere else he’s been.”

Q: On what he has seen with CB Kamari Lassiter’s development heading into year three and what their relationship is like

Stingley: “I mean, he’s been who he is since he stepped out there on the field. He listens to whoever has anything to say to him, whether it’s coaching for him or just letting him know what to do. But he’s also a leader to the young people who are on the team now. I wouldn’t say it’s competition, obviously, I want to see him make a play just like anybody else and I’m sure it’s the same for him to me and everybody else. So, [if] he goes out there and has 20 picks this year, I’m like, ‘Come on, let’s do it again, keep on doing it.’ But yeah, he going to keep on making plays just being who he is.”

Q: On retaining key players on defense, and what the benefits and challenges of that might be

Stingley: “Benefits, obviously, we know the people who’ve been in the scheme or played here last year or the year before. Obviously, we know if somebody is going to be in the right spot within a certain call. I can’t really think of any cons that come with that, because we know how each other play, we know how to communicate. Most people, they just kind of expect hand signals from me, but they know somebody else is probably going to talk on the field. I don’t see anything bad with [it].”

Q: On if the defense is worried about being complacent with their performance from last season

Stingley: “No, I don’t think [anybody] thinks about last year. You’re trying to go out there and be the best every single snap in practice, in the game. Nah, I am not worried about that.”

Q: On what stands out to him about the offense heading into year two schematically

Stingley: “Pre-snap, they’re moving faster and quicker. They look like all the motions are correct, I would say, or they break the huddle, and then they get into the line, everybody kind of knows what to do. Yeah, I think they’re going to be good.”

Q: On what sets the Texans’ secondary apart from other teamsand if they have a nickname for their group

Stingley: “I think the simple fact that we want to see each other make plays and win every single rep. Like I said, we know how to talk to each other, so if something’s going wrong, we’re not going to get on each other. If something happens out there, we know how to fix it, or we know what happened. And then as far as a nickname, I don’t know, [we] just go out there.”

Q: On CB Jaylin Smith’s development heading into year two and how he has seen DE Will Anderson Jr. improve

Stingley: “‘J-Roc’, man, when he’s out there, he making plays every day, even when the ball not getting thrown to him. His breaks, he’s playing off, his break downhill is insane. Him at the line of scrimmage, he’s getting hands on every rep, he’s looking good. I just can’t wait to see him during the season. And then Will, I don’t know, Will’s just Will. He’s just going to end up with like 30.0 sacks or something this year, I don’t know. He’s just him.”

Q: On what he wants his son to grow up to learn about him

Stingley: “That I’m somewhat as good as my dad, like, in a sense of being a dad, that’s it.”

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: Everything CB Derek Stingley Jr. said following Day 1 of minicamp