While the NFL draft is still three days away, the Houston Texans are getting ready to welcome seven new players who will improve their roster.
How so? They’re back in the building for voluntary workouts, setting the tone for the upcoming season. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans met with the media for several minutes to discuss the offseason workouts, newest additions and news surrounding the upcoming draft.
Here were the highlights from Monday’s presser:
Q: On what it meant to reach a deal with S Jalen Pitre ahead of the draft
DeMeco Ryans: “Jalen represents everything you wanted in a player, and in a person. He is consistent, hardworking, very dedicated to putting the team first and doing whatever it takes for the team to be successful. He’s been an outstanding young man to work with. So I am fired up for Jalen. Jalen was a truly impact player for us. When he was on the field he all over the place, causing havoc, and we expect to see the same for a long time. So I’m excited for Jalen, happy for him. It is a cool example of a guy who puts his head down, works hard, and does things the right way and he is rewarded for it. That is the beauty in this game and the NFL, what is provides for you and your family. Jalen is a representative of everything you can ask for.”
Q:What is the first day of workouts like for a coach, and what he tries to instill on the first day
Ryans: “Our first day of OTAs, we get excited as coaches to have players back in the building. It is also limited, we can’t actually get on the field with the guys. A lot people would like to but it’s just meetings with our guys. They go out, they work with our strength and conditioning coaches, working in the weight room and also in the field doing some conditioning. It’s such an energy lifter. Having everyone back in the building just feel the buzz. It has been quiet around here for a while. We kicked the rodeo out, so we’re good to go. But it’s been quiet for a while around our building. So to have the guys back and have them impact our ability, you feel the joy, you feel the connection. New guys, old faces, everybody just coming together. It’s the 2025, Texans. That’s what’s exciting, to see how this team will come together, and today is just the beginning of that.”
Q: On if it gets stressful leading up to the Draft?
Ryans: “The draft is an exciting time. No one really know how the Draft is going to shape out, who’s trading up, who’s moving out. So, it’s an exciting time to add new players to your team. A lot of good quality guys to add to our team. We’re excited about that, a lot of great young men coming out of this Draft. Guys work hard to put themselves in great position to be drafted. We take it how it comes. We feel like we are in a good spot as a team, and we want to continue to add young, talented guys who can come in and help us out in any way that they can.”
Q: On the most important thing for players to learn in OTA’s
Ryans: “Most important thing for me and what I asked our guys today, is just be where your feet are. We have limited amount of time to be here, let’s be where our feet are. Let’s be connected. Let’s talk to our teammates. Let’s not walk around with our heads down on our cell phone all the time, eyes up, eating lunch with each other, truly connected with one another and we will improve upon the football. It’s about you put the right work in, then you’ll get better at your craft. Let’s get better at connecting. Let’s get better at the football, coming in with the right attitude, attitude to learn, attitude to grow. If you come in with that mindset, guys will really maximize these nine weeks we have here in the off season.”
Q:On how much culture has to do with that mindset when they are unable to be out on the field during this time?
Ryans: “We have a really solid group of guys who’ve been here. They understand who I am. They understand my mentality, my approach, and what I expect out of guys. So, it’s not so much of me, so much of messaging on how we do things. Those guys can carry along with the message. Follow [QB] C.J. [Stroud], follow [DE] Will [Anderson Jr.], follow Jalen, follow a lot of guys who done it the right way. They’ve seen how to operate for the past two years. We don’t need to be out there. We know we have really good leadership on our team, guys who do it the right way, guys who bring other guys along, and guys who expect to build a winning culture here. So, if they just follow those guys, they’ll fit in just fine.”
Q:On if they account potential for development with players in the Draft if they aren’t where they need to be at the moment
Ryans: “One thing I always tell my coaches, we’re here for a reason. We’re coaches, right? You’re here to teach. You’re here to develop and grow young men, and that’s our job, and something we should all take pride in. You don’t want a finish product. No one’s a finished product. A lot of guys, we’re talking to a 21-year old. Where were we when we were all 21, right? We’ve all grown a lot since being 21, right? In a lot of different areas. It’s the same thing, the same mindset and approach that you take when you draft a young guy. How are you going to help? Of course, he has the talent. He wouldn’t be getting drafted if he didn’t have the talent. He has that talent. So now, what are you doing as a coach, as a teacher, to enhance his skill set, make him better, give him more tools to work with, put in his tool belt so he can become better as a player, but also as a man off the field? That’s where coaches really shine. The coaches can develop guys and help them maximize their potential. Those are the coaches who are really great, and they stick around the league for a long time.”
Q: On what ways he has developed as a scout to help identify players who can help this team
Ryans: “I am not where I want to be as a scout, I am still working. It’s a really tough process. It’s very time consuming, and it takes a lot of work to really see where a guy is and to see the potential. First off, what’s his role for your team? I think that’s always the forefront of our mind when we are watching a guy. Yeah, he’s a good player, but how does he fit within our team? What will that role be, and how are you going to enhance it once he gets here? My eye for talent, hopefully I’m getting the right guys in here, talent wise, but also getting good people. As I’ve said before, I wish I could see more [DE] Will Anderson’s , that makes it a lot easier. When I see a guy who works as hard as he works, and it shows up on the film, just the person that he is. You see guys that way, that makes it a lot easier to scout.”
Q:Thoughts on the CB Derek Stingley Jr. extension
Ryans: “Really, really pleased with Stingley, and what he’s done, how he’s growing. I talk about that growth and how coaches help guys develop, Stingley is very talented. A guy coming out of LSU, and to see his game just improve year after yar since he’s been in the league. That’s what it’s about. It’s about seeing that growth, seeing that development. Coach Dino [Vasso] has done a great job of working with Stingley. Stingley has done a great job of putting in the work to get better. Hone his craft and become one of the top corners in his league, where a lot of people don’t want to throw to his side, because they know if you put it up there, he could probably take the ball away. So, he’s earned that, he’s earned that respect, and that’s what it looks like, that’s development. That’s what excites me as a coach. When you do it that way, you get a really nice contract.”
Q:On how much need and the best player available go hand in hand in the Draft
Ryans: “That is always the big talk in the Draft, need and best available. For us, we are going to take the best guy on the board, we won’t just pass up a top player on our board just because we have a need at a certain position. It’s okay to enhance and have a really strong position group if the Draft falls that way. You can in there and there are no handcuffs on we have to draft a certain position and stuck at only looking at that position. We have a broad view of how we want to enhance our team. And it’s not just looking at it in just a tight lens of only one way. If there is a position there, if there is a player that can really changes our team, we are going to take that guy. That is where we talk about not truly drafting for need, we want to take the best players on our board.”
Q:On if the S.W.A.R.M. mentality can be developed or if it is something a person has or doesn’t have
Ryans: “The mentality that I’m looking for in guys when I meet them in person, I just want to get a feel for their love for football. That’s really what separates guys, in my mind. You can tell asking the right questions, you can see how dedicated a guy is to really growing and being better, being coachable and wanting to grow. You see the film and how a guy finishes, what effort a guy puts in. What is a guy doing away from football, away from the set schedule? What is he doing to prepare himself on his own as a player? That speaks to me as far as a guy’s mindset and his willingness to play with all-out effort. To play with that physicality that we like to see. So, some guys definitely have it, it can be enhanced in other guys. You just have to get a sense of what guys have been taught as well from their college programs. You can see how you can help guys get better in that regard.”
Q:On what impact the new offensive direction under OC Nick Caley has on the draft process
Ryans: “With our new offense, the process is to get great offensive players that helps us. All coaches around, anywhere you can say, that you get great players that helps you coach better. So we’re looking for a talented young men at all positions. It’s been great working with [Offensive Coordinator Nick] Caley. Caley is doing a great job setting the tone this morning and in meeting. His energy is going to be very infectious amongst our team. Not only to offense, but with just our team. How he prepares every day, how he brings elite energy, it is going to rub off on everybody. So I’m excited our guys to continue to install our offensive scheme and continue to work with him.”
Q:On how LB E.J. Speed fits in with this team
Ryans: “E.J. fits our scheme because he is fast, long, and athletic play maker. He made a ton of tackles, over a hundred tackles his previous year. E.J. is a young player coming out of Tarleton State that he started out as a special team’s player, and he showed that growth, became a starter, was an impact player for ‘Indy’ and we are looking for him to do that same. Just come in, compete, do what he has been doing, play fast, make plays all across the field. We feel like he can really help us.”
Q: What have you seen from QB C.J. Stroud this offseason
Ryans: “C.J., he’s been working out. He’s been dedicated to his craft. He’s been putting the work in throughout the offseason. It is what you expect from your leader, from your quarterback, so I’m excited to see how he attacks the next nine weeks as well, being around all of his teammates.”
Q:On the difference in interviewing at the Combine and bringing in a player to be interviewed at the facility
Ryans: “Talking to guys at the Combine, we get about 15 to 20 minutes to talk to guys. That process is very quick. For me, I get that initial meeting, get a chance to talk to a guy and see how he’s communicating, get to learn a little bit about his background. But 20 minutes is just it’s too fast to truly get to know guys. So, when we bring them in on 30 visits they get to spend a day here with us. So we get much more time to sit a guy down, talk to him, talk through film with him right. Talk through his background again. It gives them a chance to meet with our coordinators, position coaches, special teams coaches. They go through the entire gamete of meeting everyone in the building of who they will interface with on a day to day basis when they’re here, if we drafted them. So everybody in the building gets a really good feel for the personality, and to see if that personality fits in our building. There are some great players who may not fit the Houston Texans, and that is okay. I am pulling for all these guys to be successful in the NFL however that looks. We want to find the best, however many, seven, eight guys that we’re able to pick this year. We want to find those best guys who have the best fit for us, not only play style wise, but also personality.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: Everything HC DeMeco Ryans said ahead of 2025 NFL Draft
While the NFL draft is still three days away, the Houston Texans are getting ready to welcome seven new players who will improve their roster.
How so? They’re back in the building for voluntary workouts, setting the tone for the upcoming season. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans met with the media for several minutes to discuss the offseason workouts, newest additions and news surrounding the upcoming draft.
Here were the highlights from Monday’s presser:
Q: On what it meant to reach a deal with S Jalen Pitre ahead of the draft
DeMeco Ryans: “Jalen represents everything you wanted in a player, and in a person. He is consistent, hardworking, very dedicated to putting the team first and doing whatever it takes for the team to be successful. He’s been an outstanding young man to work with. So I am fired up for Jalen. Jalen was a truly impact player for us. When he was on the field he all over the place, causing havoc, and we expect to see the same for a long time. So I’m excited for Jalen, happy for him. It is a cool example of a guy who puts his head down, works hard, and does things the right way and he is rewarded for it. That is the beauty in this game and the NFL, what is provides for you and your family. Jalen is a representative of everything you can ask for.”
Q:What is the first day of workouts like for a coach, and what he tries to instill on the first day
Ryans: “Our first day of OTAs, we get excited as coaches to have players back in the building. It is also limited, we can’t actually get on the field with the guys. A lot people would like to but it’s just meetings with our guys. They go out, they work with our strength and conditioning coaches, working in the weight room and also in the field doing some conditioning. It’s such an energy lifter. Having everyone back in the building just feel the buzz. It has been quiet around here for a while. We kicked the rodeo out, so we’re good to go. But it’s been quiet for a while around our building. So to have the guys back and have them impact our ability, you feel the joy, you feel the connection. New guys, old faces, everybody just coming together. It’s the 2025, Texans. That’s what’s exciting, to see how this team will come together, and today is just the beginning of that.”
Q: On if it gets stressful leading up to the Draft?
Ryans: “The draft is an exciting time. No one really know how the Draft is going to shape out, who’s trading up, who’s moving out. So, it’s an exciting time to add new players to your team. A lot of good quality guys to add to our team. We’re excited about that, a lot of great young men coming out of this Draft. Guys work hard to put themselves in great position to be drafted. We take it how it comes. We feel like we are in a good spot as a team, and we want to continue to add young, talented guys who can come in and help us out in any way that they can.”
Q: On the most important thing for players to learn in OTA’s
Ryans: “Most important thing for me and what I asked our guys today, is just be where your feet are. We have limited amount of time to be here, let’s be where our feet are. Let’s be connected. Let’s talk to our teammates. Let’s not walk around with our heads down on our cell phone all the time, eyes up, eating lunch with each other, truly connected with one another and we will improve upon the football. It’s about you put the right work in, then you’ll get better at your craft. Let’s get better at connecting. Let’s get better at the football, coming in with the right attitude, attitude to learn, attitude to grow. If you come in with that mindset, guys will really maximize these nine weeks we have here in the off season.”
Q:On how much culture has to do with that mindset when they are unable to be out on the field during this time?
Ryans: “We have a really solid group of guys who’ve been here. They understand who I am. They understand my mentality, my approach, and what I expect out of guys. So, it’s not so much of me, so much of messaging on how we do things. Those guys can carry along with the message. Follow [QB] C.J. [Stroud], follow [DE] Will [Anderson Jr.], follow Jalen, follow a lot of guys who done it the right way. They’ve seen how to operate for the past two years. We don’t need to be out there. We know we have really good leadership on our team, guys who do it the right way, guys who bring other guys along, and guys who expect to build a winning culture here. So, if they just follow those guys, they’ll fit in just fine.”
Q:On if they account potential for development with players in the Draft if they aren’t where they need to be at the moment
Ryans: “One thing I always tell my coaches, we’re here for a reason. We’re coaches, right? You’re here to teach. You’re here to develop and grow young men, and that’s our job, and something we should all take pride in. You don’t want a finish product. No one’s a finished product. A lot of guys, we’re talking to a 21-year old. Where were we when we were all 21, right? We’ve all grown a lot since being 21, right? In a lot of different areas. It’s the same thing, the same mindset and approach that you take when you draft a young guy. How are you going to help? Of course, he has the talent. He wouldn’t be getting drafted if he didn’t have the talent. He has that talent. So now, what are you doing as a coach, as a teacher, to enhance his skill set, make him better, give him more tools to work with, put in his tool belt so he can become better as a player, but also as a man off the field? That’s where coaches really shine. The coaches can develop guys and help them maximize their potential. Those are the coaches who are really great, and they stick around the league for a long time.”
Q: On what ways he has developed as a scout to help identify players who can help this team
Ryans: “I am not where I want to be as a scout, I am still working. It’s a really tough process. It’s very time consuming, and it takes a lot of work to really see where a guy is and to see the potential. First off, what’s his role for your team? I think that’s always the forefront of our mind when we are watching a guy. Yeah, he’s a good player, but how does he fit within our team? What will that role be, and how are you going to enhance it once he gets here? My eye for talent, hopefully I’m getting the right guys in here, talent wise, but also getting good people. As I’ve said before, I wish I could see more [DE] Will Anderson’s , that makes it a lot easier. When I see a guy who works as hard as he works, and it shows up on the film, just the person that he is. You see guys that way, that makes it a lot easier to scout.”
Q:Thoughts on the CB Derek Stingley Jr. extension
Ryans: “Really, really pleased with Stingley, and what he’s done, how he’s growing. I talk about that growth and how coaches help guys develop, Stingley is very talented. A guy coming out of LSU, and to see his game just improve year after yar since he’s been in the league. That’s what it’s about. It’s about seeing that growth, seeing that development. Coach Dino [Vasso] has done a great job of working with Stingley. Stingley has done a great job of putting in the work to get better. Hone his craft and become one of the top corners in his league, where a lot of people don’t want to throw to his side, because they know if you put it up there, he could probably take the ball away. So, he’s earned that, he’s earned that respect, and that’s what it looks like, that’s development. That’s what excites me as a coach. When you do it that way, you get a really nice contract.”
Q:On how much need and the best player available go hand in hand in the Draft
Ryans: “That is always the big talk in the Draft, need and best available. For us, we are going to take the best guy on the board, we won’t just pass up a top player on our board just because we have a need at a certain position. It’s okay to enhance and have a really strong position group if the Draft falls that way. You can in there and there are no handcuffs on we have to draft a certain position and stuck at only looking at that position. We have a broad view of how we want to enhance our team. And it’s not just looking at it in just a tight lens of only one way. If there is a position there, if there is a player that can really changes our team, we are going to take that guy. That is where we talk about not truly drafting for need, we want to take the best players on our board.”
Q:On if the S.W.A.R.M. mentality can be developed or if it is something a person has or doesn’t have
Ryans: “The mentality that I’m looking for in guys when I meet them in person, I just want to get a feel for their love for football. That’s really what separates guys, in my mind. You can tell asking the right questions, you can see how dedicated a guy is to really growing and being better, being coachable and wanting to grow. You see the film and how a guy finishes, what effort a guy puts in. What is a guy doing away from football, away from the set schedule? What is he doing to prepare himself on his own as a player? That speaks to me as far as a guy’s mindset and his willingness to play with all-out effort. To play with that physicality that we like to see. So, some guys definitely have it, it can be enhanced in other guys. You just have to get a sense of what guys have been taught as well from their college programs. You can see how you can help guys get better in that regard.”
Q:On what impact the new offensive direction under OC Nick Caley has on the draft process
Ryans: “With our new offense, the process is to get great offensive players that helps us. All coaches around, anywhere you can say, that you get great players that helps you coach better. So we’re looking for a talented young men at all positions. It’s been great working with [Offensive Coordinator Nick] Caley. Caley is doing a great job setting the tone this morning and in meeting. His energy is going to be very infectious amongst our team. Not only to offense, but with just our team. How he prepares every day, how he brings elite energy, it is going to rub off on everybody. So I’m excited our guys to continue to install our offensive scheme and continue to work with him.”
Q:On how LB E.J. Speed fits in with this team
Ryans: “E.J. fits our scheme because he is fast, long, and athletic play maker. He made a ton of tackles, over a hundred tackles his previous year. E.J. is a young player coming out of Tarleton State that he started out as a special team’s player, and he showed that growth, became a starter, was an impact player for ‘Indy’ and we are looking for him to do that same. Just come in, compete, do what he has been doing, play fast, make plays all across the field. We feel like he can really help us.”
Q: What have you seen from QB C.J. Stroud this offseason
Ryans: “C.J., he’s been working out. He’s been dedicated to his craft. He’s been putting the work in throughout the offseason. It is what you expect from your leader, from your quarterback, so I’m excited to see how he attacks the next nine weeks as well, being around all of his teammates.”
Q:On the difference in interviewing at the Combine and bringing in a player to be interviewed at the facility
Ryans: “Talking to guys at the Combine, we get about 15 to 20 minutes to talk to guys. That process is very quick. For me, I get that initial meeting, get a chance to talk to a guy and see how he’s communicating, get to learn a little bit about his background. But 20 minutes is just it’s too fast to truly get to know guys. So, when we bring them in on 30 visits they get to spend a day here with us. So we get much more time to sit a guy down, talk to him, talk through film with him right. Talk through his background again. It gives them a chance to meet with our coordinators, position coaches, special teams coaches. They go through the entire gamete of meeting everyone in the building of who they will interface with on a day to day basis when they’re here, if we drafted them. So everybody in the building gets a really good feel for the personality, and to see if that personality fits in our building. There are some great players who may not fit the Houston Texans, and that is okay. I am pulling for all these guys to be successful in the NFL however that looks. We want to find the best, however many, seven, eight guys that we’re able to pick this year. We want to find those best guys who have the best fit for us, not only play style wise, but also personality.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans: Everything HC DeMeco Ryans said ahead of 2025 NFL Draft
