Everything Houston Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said following Day 1 of minicamp

Here’s everything Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said following the first day of minicamp, including an update on C.J. Stroud’s relationship with second-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley and the development of the defense.

Question: On how he advises his team during the offseason breaks

DeMeco Ryans: “The advice during the break for me is always making sure you get some time to truly get some rest, get some relaxation, but also at the same time, you still have to continue to work with the gains that you’ve built, the conditioning that you’ve built up throughout the OTAs, throughout the veteran minicamp. You still want to see guys continuing to work for at least two, three weeks, and then give themselves a little break, and then we’ve got to ramp it up again and get ready to roll, because as we know, come training camp, for us in Houston, it’s a little different. You have to be built different to play here in Houston when you deal with the humidity, deal with the heat that we have to go through. So, we want our guys, they truly have to come back and begin working out in Houston at least three weeks before camp so they’re ready to roll and be able to really thrive in camp and not just try to survive.”

Q: On who he is looking at in the defensive line room to replace former DE Derek Barnett

Ryans: “We’re excited about the D-line that we have. We’ll continue to roll our guys as much as possible. That’s how we operate. We really want eight, nine guys who can go out there and play in a rotation. We’re still figuring out who those eight or nine guys will be. It’ll be really tough competition in training camp that I’m excited to see, excited to really see our young guys in the interior to see how they perform in camp.”

Q: On DT Sheldon Rankin’s value to the defense and as a mentor with DT Kayden McDonald

Ryans: “Sheldon brings a calming presence to the defense. We do a lot of communication, we put a lot on those guys from a standpoint of talking to each other, linebackers talking to the defensive line, so when you have a guy of Sheldon’s caliber who’s seen it all, done it all, very smart guy, very aware of formations, he can ID things that a lot of young guys can’t do and we don’t ask them to do, but we can put more on Sheldon’s plate because of his experience. Having him there with Kayden is going to be significant for Kayden and his development. Kayden should grab a hold of Sheldon and not let him leave without gaining some type of insight, some type of knowledge every day on what it’s like to play in one of the toughest positions in football: interior defensive line. He needs to learn that from a guy who’s done it for over 10 years.”

Q: On DT Sheldon Rankins developmental help with DE Will Anderson Jr. as a player and how he is now helping develop younger players

Ryans: “Sheldon poured a lot into Will and you see Will now benefiting from that, but Will is also taking and he’s pouring into the younger guys himself, and that’s what the NFL has always been built on. I had veteran guys, Morlon Greenwood, Shawn Barber, Danny Clark, guys who poured into me and that’s the only way I knew how it should be done. When I went through my career, it was my chance to pour into guys like Zach Diles, Brian Cushing, Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks. That’s what the league is built on.”

Q: On T Aireontae Ersery’s development going into year two

Ryans: “‘Tae’ has done a really great job of preparing himself this offseason. Year two for him, he’s definitely hit it in the weight room pretty hard. He’s looking stronger, he’s playing aggressive, he’s smart, knowing where he needs to be. It’s not new to him. So, you can see a guy who’s really calm in what he’s asked to do. He’s calm with the position and things that we’re asking him to do. He’s doing a really good job of it.”

Q: On how he feels about the team currently, and how he feels about the team quality overall

Ryans: “Our team is looking great. I feel really, really good about where we are as a team. It’s one of the best OTAs that we’ve had since I’ve been here the past four years. I’m really excited about training camp. I’m really excited to see these guys actually put on pads and see who shows up in the pads. It’s one thing in the shorts. Some guys can make plays in shorts, but you put the pads on, you play real football, you see who can really show up. But our guys have shown up. Everything that I’ve asked them to do, they’ve shown up with the right mindset. They’ve worked the right way. We have a really great group of guys, and I think we’re building a really great team this year.”

Q: On the team’s culture and competitiveness during offseason workouts

Ryans: “When I first came here in 2023, it was really to establish a mindset and an identity of who I wanted the Texans to be. As you’ve seen over the past three years, we have that identity. We play ball aggressive. We play physical. We do it the right way. We’re going to be the toughest team to suit up every time we suit up. That’s the guys that we bring in. That’s the culture that we’ve built. Now I don’t have to go back and reestablish our identity and how we play. As we grow as a team, as I’ve grown as a head coach, for me, it’s more so now about how much smarter can we play as a team? How can we be more elite on our execution? Our communication, can it be louder? Can we echo it more? Can we truly be tied together every time we line up? That’s what I’ve seen when I talk about the process of us this year being better. I’ve seen better communication. I’ve seen guys just being able to absorb more defense, absorb more offense, formations, emotions. Guys are just able to handle more because it’s second year in our offense, fourth year in our defense, it’s a given, but it’s also the veterans that we have, the leaders that we have at each and every position, allows me to see it, step back as a head coach and see we just need to keep fine-tuning the details. Not necessarily every period is a competitive get-after-it period. It’s more of a mental check, and that’s what we’re working on this offseason, and we’ll continue to develop that in the training camp.”

Q: On the linebacker room and LB Jamal Hill

Ryans: “The linebacker group is a really competitive group. Probably the most competitive it’s been in a while. We have a lot of young players, which I like, a lot of young players in that room that can all play. That’s the exciting part about it. A lot of great athletes in that position. Jamal is one of those guys. He’s shined and flashed a couple of plays on special teams for us last year. I remember a play versus the Cardinals. One of our special team’s goals was to take the football away, and Jamal goes down, first play of kickoff, first play of the game, and he puts his hat on the football. We get a huge turnover. He really set the tone for us. I’m just still pouring into him to not only get it done on the special teams aspect, but also grow as a player to where, can you go out and play true, first, second, third, down for us. He’s growing. He’s gotten better. Being a safety who’s converted to the linebacker position, he’s done a really good job of that. The more I can pour into those guys  — I’m always close to those linebackers. Those are my babies. I love working with the linebackers. They’re a fun group. They’re a really smart group. [Linebackers] Coach Bill Davis has done an outstanding job of working with those guys to get them caught up to speed. Our rookies are probably some of the smartest rookies that I’ve had the chance to work with, so that’s encouraging to me.”

Q: On Texas State’s Head Coach G. J. Kinne attending practice on Tuesday

Ryans: “It was fun seeing G.J. come out to practice today. Just congratulating him on the growth that he’s had in his career as a head coach. At Incarnate Word, moving on to Texas State, taking that program to bowl games, the first-ever bowl games in their past three years. So he’s done a great job of establishing a culture there in Texas State, and I’m proud of the success that he had. Former teammate there in [Philadelphia] with him, also a former neighbor of mine, so it’s always good to see guys that flourish after the game and still being involved, still coaching, and talking to G.J., you just see the passion that he has for the recruiting, for helping young men, and that’s what I love hearing that when I talk to young coaches.”

Q: On NFL teams using more 13 personnel on their offense and what challenges does that cause on defense as well as create an advantage on offense

Ryans: “Caley wants all the tight ends out, right? Put four of them out there. No, it’s the tight ends pose a matchup problem, and it’s not just because it’s the tight end, it’s how the tight ends have evolved in our game. Now you’ve got more pass threat tight ends than we’ve had in the past. In 2006, you put four tight ends on the field, and it’s gold line. You’re not doing that now. Now you have guys who are true receiving threats. So when you have that, are you matching up in base personnel? Are you matching up in nickel, dime personnel? Well, it really depends on who that tight end is, and you match up accordingly. It’s a chess match when you’re going against defenses and you put 13 personnel out on the field, having the ability to throw the ball in personnel, those percentages have skyrocketed over the past 10 years, so just having that flexibility by an offensive coordinator to have tight ends that we can put out, and not just last year we put a lot of extra O-linemen packages out on the field, which you kind of show your hand easier when you have the extra O-linemen, so now having the versatility and the depth of the group that we have now should open up a ton more options for us when it comes to being able to disguise some personnel.”

Q: On G Keylan Rutledge development this offseason moving around on the offensive line

Ryans: “Keylan has done a great job. Keylan’s moved around from guard to center. He’s done a great job with both. Really great communicator as a young player, aggressive, intense, just like the tape you saw at Georgia Tech, so it’s looked great so far in OTAs. I’m excited to see him as another guy, with all the rookies, I’m just excited to see the guys put the pads on in training camp and truly compete, get the opportunity to play in some preseason games.”

Q: On what having the defensive veterans be able to practice and get acclimated with the new additions allows as a coach

Ryans:“Offenses are going to struggle.”

Q: On if he has any plans for the upcoming offseason break

Ryans: “Looking forward to a break. I have not had a break since our last playoff game. So, I’ve been working ever since and getting after it. So much needed break is coming. So, I’m excited about that, being able to spend some time with family, take the kiddos to Disney World and get to enjoy that for a little bit. So, it’s a much needed time to just get away, really allow the mind to just reset, refresh, so I come back to training camp ready to roll.”

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: Everything HC DeMeco Ryans said following Day 1 of minicamp