Will Anderson Jr. discusses the Texans’ additions, heightened expectations and what he will improve on in 2024

The Houston Texans were O surprise team of 2023 NFL season. First-year head coach DeMeco Ryans took this team from worst to first place in the AFC South and even defeated the Cleveland Browns 11-6 in the wild card round for the franchise’s fifth postseason win.

One of the main reasons the Texans were so successful last year was recruiting. With its first two selections, Houston landed the eventual Offensive Rookie of the Year in quarterback C.J. Stroud and the eventual Defensive Rookie of the Year in defensive end Will Anderson Jr. Both made immediate impacts, and now expectations in H-Town have soared.

This week, Anderson spoke with CBS Sports about Houston’s preparations for the 2024 season. Understand that the “Texans’ hype” didn’t die with their divisional round loss to the Baltimore Ravens. General manager Nick Caserio then continued with arguably the best offseason in the NFL.

Houston traded for wide receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon, then added several defensive starters in free agency, such as pass rusher Danielle Hunter, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and versatile defensive lineman Denico Autry. Despite all the new faces, Anderson said these players fit in perfectly during OTAs and minicamps.

“Man, the vibrations were high,” Anderson said. “All these guys have to come out there and be a part of what we’re doing. Honestly, it’s crazy, because sometimes when you sign new guys, the locker room is like, ‘Eh, we don’t know.’ It just takes a while, but when I tell you when they walked into the locker room, it felt like everyone had been on the team for about 10 years. The hustle and bustle in the locker room, the jokes in the locker room, everything like that. . It was really beautiful to see.

“Then the chemistry on the field – CJ to Diggs, myself and Danielle, the linebackers – Azeez, with him, he’s been a great addition, he’s been leading the defense.

Anderson wanted to highlight all of his new teammates, but there is one Texan rookie who has been making waves in Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter. Anderson believes he will help improve a pass defense that finished in the bottom 10 last year.

“He’s got some energy, a lot of electric,” Anderson said. “He knows how to play ball, he knows the mentality he must have to play for this team. He’s got the right kind of character, the right kind of DNA and I think he’s going to make a lot of great plays for us this year.”

Anderson was awarded Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 45 tackles, seven sacks and 22 QB hits in 15 games played. He recorded the third-most pressures by a rookie over the last five seasons with 59. Only Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa had more in their first season. NFL seasons.

When asked what the secret was to making that kind of immediate impact in the NFL, Anderson responded by saying that his achievement was not just about his play on the field, but a reflection of how effective those were behind the scenes for the Texans, such as assistant coaches and in the player personnel department.

“I think the key is to get better every week and get better every week,” Anderson said. “I think that’s something I really wanted to focus on every week, what was my growth, what was I improving on? How was I attacking my game plan, what was I studying?”

Anderson appears to have a bright future in football, but he is not yet the player he will be. When asked what he’s focused on improving in Year 2, he mentioned mastering the intricate art of the pass rush.

“I just want to be able to get more comfortable making my moves and also get more extension at the top of my run and really finish on the quarterback with accuracy, and make sure I’m heading toward the ball,” Anderson said. “Really, I’m just confident in my moves and perfecting them, so all offseason that’s what I’ve been working on and building my confidence.”

The Texans have a unique coach in Ryans. At 39 years old, he is one of the youngest coaches in the NFL, but he managed to take a 3-13-1 team to 10-7 and win a playoff game in his first season. Ryans also brings an advantageous perspective to the sideline, having been a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Texans. When asked how Ryans has changed over the past year — going from a first-year head coach to a leader expected to guide a contender to glory — Anderson said he hasn’t changed at all. Ryans keeps the team “uncomfortable.” There’s still a lot to prove and you don’t know what tomorrow will bring. It’s about attacking each day and each opportunity.

“Honestly, he’s been exactly the same because his expectations are higher than anyone else’s expectations for the team,” Anderson said. “He’s always on edge, and that’s how he keeps us – always on edge. He’s always telling us this game could disappear at any moment, so take advantage of that. And he brought up a great point, he said, ‘This is this year’s team, we only have one year together, you never know what could happen,’ so we put all our chips on the table, and that’s how he does it every year.”

So now that the Texans are expected to be a contender in the AFC, how does Anderson deal with the hype? Yes, he hears the noise. But he’s more focused on the process.

“Of course you’ll see things like that, but I think it’s really important that we keep the main thing as the main thing, and the main thing right now is being able to control what we can control,” Anderson said. . “And that’s everybody showing up to practice, everybody making sure they’re following their playbook, and everybody coming to train and compete and have fun, so when the season comes around, we can go out and compete and win games, and we can focus on reaching the end goal, which is the Super Bowl. But for now, this offseason, we just want to continue to build team chemistry and make sure no one’s expectations are higher than the expectations we have for ourselves.”

Anderson spoke with CBS Sports in promotion of “USAA’s Huddle Up for Hurricane Prep”

“I’ve teamed up with USAA, an Official Partner of Salute to Service, and the Harris County Office of Emergency Management to help raise awareness about hurricane preparedness. June marks the start of hurricane season, and Texas is in the top 10 for most hurricane-prone states. So we just want to raise awareness in the community on how to prepare, plan and recover from hurricanes.”