Latest news with #HoustonTexans
USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Everything Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. said after Day 6 of training camp
Here's everything Houston Texans All-Pro cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. said following Day 6 of NFL training camp, including his thoughts on rookie Jaylin Smith, expectations for the upcoming season and how linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair could be the most improved defensive player this fall. Question: What's next after an All-Pro season last year Derek Stingley Jr.: 'Really the goal is just be better than last year. So, whatever comes with that.' Q: On how he accomplishes that Stingley: 'The same process, just going out and trying to make sure that I'm better than the day before. Or if I'm working on my feet one day, just making sure that that looks good or my hands, on my eyes, or anything like that.' Q: On the addition of S C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the secondary Stingley: 'He adds a whole other level to the defense. He fits in. He's going to fly around, he's going to talk, he's going to dance and do all that. He's a good piece to the defense, I'm glad he's here.' Q: On if that attitude is contagious for the rest of the secondary Stingley: 'Yeah. We all feed off each other, so it's good energy.' On if that's different from coming into Training Camp this year or is it the same Stingley: 'No, it's the same. As long as you're working, you shouldn't…you should be all right.' Q: On what he's seen from CB Jaylin Smith and how he's helping him like former Texans CB Steven Nelson helped him Stingley: 'Shout out to my dog, Steven [Nelson]. 'J-Rock' is going to make a lot of plays. Every day he does something and it's like, 'All right, you moving around, you making plays.' But he's smart. You don't have to say something to him more than once, really. He knows the whole defense already, every position. So, it's just cool to see him just being a player that he is.' Q: On if he feels like a veteran Stingley: 'A little bit. Sometimes I'm looking and I'm just like, 'Oh, that's crazy. I'm older than all of them.' Q: On how he expects opposing teams to attack him Stingley: 'I don't expect a quiet [game] or a lot. I can't really go into a game thinking like that. The season's a long way away. But I'm just going into every game the same, just do my job.' Q: On what it's been like to get to know S C.J. Gardner-Johnson rather than hear about his reputation around the league Stingley: 'There's a narrative about him, from people that don't know him, whatever you assume that narrative is. But he's a great person. He just loves football. He's going to go out there, he's going to compete every single day. He's going to pay attention. He's going to talk in meetings, express what he thinks about a certain play or something. Then we're just going to talk about it. I don't know. He's a great guy. So, I don't know.' Q: On how he's able to take himself away from individual accolades and make them team accolades Stingley: 'I wouldn't be anywhere without the team. Everybody has to help each other in order for stuff like that to happen. Like, we make plays as a group. We just got to trust and have that chemistry that the player next to you is going to do what he has to do.' Q: On if he sees differences in CB Kamari Lassiter going into Year 2 Stingley: 'From the outside looking in, it looks like the game has slowed down a lot for him. He knows what to expect through the course of a day, through camp or even within a play. Once he sees certain things, he knows that he can trust his eyes because he's seen it at this point a lot of times. So, it's cool to see him get comfortable out there.' Q: On what he loves about gaming Stingley: 'The NCAAs and the Maddens, it's just football. You get to exploit a whole bunch of coverages, especially if you're going against somebody like [Jalen] Pitre who doesn't know how to play Madden that well, you just practice. So, it's just more practice.' Q: On LB Azeez Al-Shaair joining the defensive backs for their workout in Puerto Rico Stingley: 'It was good. We had a lot of fun out there. We had good work. Seeing him move around, it's crazy because obviously you could tell that he's a linebacker because he's swole, but he's moving around just like the defensive backs that were out there. I think it was good off-season work.' Q: On if he sees it paying off now Stingley: 'Yeah. He's going to catch all of them now.'
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Center for Sports Leadership and Learning Partners with Houston Texans to Advance High Performance and Leadership Development
Dallas, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - July 30, 2025) - Abilene Christian University's Center for Sports Leadership and Learning is proud to announce a formal partnership with the Houston Texans, a premier franchise in the National Football League. This strategic collaboration will deliver integrated consulting services and resources to the Texans' football operations group. 'Our focus is always on finding ways to best support our players, and that requires a constant commitment to learning, innovation, and the development of our people,' said Nick Caserio, executive vice president and general manager of the Houston Texans. As part of the agreement, the Center for Sports Leadership and Learning will provide tailored support to the Texans in areas such as organizational development, team enrichment and wellness resources. In addition, all Texans personnel will receive a discounted tuition rate on ACU's online degree and certificate programs - reflecting a shared commitment to lifelong learning and leadership development in the world of sport. Ben Baroody, executive director for the Center for Sports Leadership and Learning at ACU, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, 'With a group that exemplifies leadership at every level, we are privileged to provide products, services and continuing education opportunities to this first-class organization.' This partnership underscores the Center for Sports Leadership and Learning's growing role as a thought leader and solutions provider in sports leadership and organizational development. The Center collaborates with professional, collegiate, and scholastic sports organizations nationwide to equip athletes, coaches, and executives for success in every arena. The partnership with the Houston Texans is ACU's first partnership with an NFL franchise, adding to its growing list of sports partnerships including the Texas Rangers, Endebrock Talent Management, the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and National Amateur Fall Baseball Federation, among others. Dr. Stephen Johnson ('90), CEO of ACU Dallas, added, 'We are very excited to solidify our partnership with the Houston Texans, an organization that is committed to investing in the holistic development of their people for growth, well-being and flourishing on and off the field.' For more information about ACU's Center for Sports Leadership & Learning offerings, visit To view the source version of this press release, please visit
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Everything Texans TE Cade Stover said after Day 6 of training camp
Here's everything Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover said following Day 6 of training camp, including comments on Nick Caley's offense, plus his thoughts on Dalton Schultz, life on the farm and the offseason workout sessions away from Houston. Question: On how he approach the opportunity to compete in Training Camp Cade Stover: 'Just growing up, trying to see the game from a different lens. You played a year already now, so you know the speed of game a little bit better and just maturing in that aspect and seeing things a little bit faster.' Q: On when he started seeing improvements in his game Stover: 'It really comes down to opportunities. You get opportunities, make a couple plays, then you start to realize that, 'Hey, what you're doing is kind of paying off,' and then keep trying to find ways to enhance that.' Q: On if he can see the difference in the way tight ends can be used in Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley's offense Stover: 'Yeah, I think so. He's got a good mind. We seem to really like playing in his offense so far. He puts us in good spots, I feel like, to be successful. I'm excited to see where it goes.' Q: On if there is anything he emphasized in the offseason to get better at Stover: 'Nothing directly. There's just a lot of overarching things that come together and make one and that was really just to be consistent. I think last year was flashes of good things and flashes of bad things, and I think this year my overarching goal is just to be consistent as can be every single play.' Q: On what he did during the offseason Stover: 'I just go back to the farm, feed cows, work out, catch footballs and do it again the next day, probably.' Q: On what he loves about the farm Stover: 'There's a lot of things I love. I guess as I get older, the thing I love the most is that I can wake up and nobody tells me what to do. I can do what I want to do on the farm, how I want to do it and if it doesn't work out I've got myself to blame. So, it's just a good way to figure out, a good thing to learn, a good way to learn about life and just help yourself figure things out and just grow as a person there, I feel like.' Q: On his connection with QB C.J. Stroud developing from college until now Stover: "C.J.'s obviously a really good player. I think each practice we come out here, I see something that he's working on each day, something better from him each day, a spot that maybe yesterday it was a spot of weakness and today it's a spot of strength. So, he's grown a lot and I think he's a really great quarterback. He's going to take us to a lot of good ball games.' Q: On if there are any specific chores he does on the farm to stay in football shape Stover: 'There's a lot. I run a lot of hills on my farm. Then overall, I carry a lot of five-gallon buckets full of feed and then you're building pipe fence, you're building all kind of stuff. I always say to everybody out there, like, if I could just do that all day long, run a couple of hills in the morning and then just work, you have the most natural strength in the world, I feel like.' Q: On what it's like having TE Brevin Jordan's energy back in the building Stover: 'It's good. Brevin's a great guy. He was helpful to me last year. Having him back, it's super cool to see him get healthy and do good things.' Q: On how the different personalities of the tight end group fit together Stover: 'Yeah, we're all very different. We all get along pretty well, but I think that's why we get along is because we're all extremely different people. So, I feel like, is a strength for us, to be honest with you.' Q: On the area he feels he has improved most upon after the first few days of Training Camp Stover: 'Consistency. I think the game's slowed down for me, so it allows you to really focus in on your footwork-wise and then just your top-end routes and see things a little bit better.' Q: On if there is a competition in the tight end room to secure the starting spot Stover: 'That's not my place to answer. I don't know. I just do what I'm asked to do, and if it's… That's not me, I don't know. I think that regardless of whoever it is, it's just got to be your most consistent, dependable guy. Whoever it is, then awesome.'
USA Today
19 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
WATCH: Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. pulverizes tackling dummy at practice
Will Anderson Jr. is a bad, bad, BAD man. Will Anderson Jr. is looking scary for the Houston Texans as he prepares for a contract year. That's a good thing for DeMeco Ryans' defense and a nightmare for everyone else in the NFL/ During Tuesday's open practice, Anderson was seen working drills in front of fans, where he dismantled the dummy and nearly decapitated the stunt machine during position drills. Here's a look at the clip below of the defensive line working drills. Anderson, who last season nearly doubled his sack total from his Defensive Rookie of the Year season, is poised to eventually become one of the highest-paid defensive ends this time next season. While still building off his Pro Bowl season of 2024, Ryans has remained impressed by Anderson's consistency and growth as he enters Year 3. 'Will has done a really good job of taking his game to the next level when it comes to his pass rush. I haven't seen a person that's more dialed in when it comes to what moves he's trying to execute and not pre-determining moves but truly playing instinctive, playing off of what set the offensive line is giving him, whether he needs to play speed to power, whether he needs to be a little more finesse, working the edge, working the inside," Ryans said Tuesday. "He's just doing a really great job of really developing that pass rush repertoire. "I have to keep him away from my quarterback because he's getting a little too close. But, he's doing a great job.' The Texans return to training camp in front of fans on Wednesday morning before the off day on Thursday.
USA Today
20 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Hard-hitting safety Justin Reid reflects on Saints' first padded practice of training camp
Two-time Super Bowl champ brings invaluable experience and leadership to the secondary With the abrupt retirement of Louisiana legend Tyrann Mathieu, questions quickly surfaced about who would step up as the vocal leader in the defensive backs room. Losing such a foundational presence left a void -- but it didn't take long for eyes to turn toward newly-acquired safety Justin Reid. Mathieu's former teammate on the Houston Texans, and a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Kansas City Chiefs, signed with the New Orleans Saints in free agency. And with Mathieu retiring from pro football, Reid is now the elder statesman in the secondary. Another Louisiana native, Reid is not only known for his play on the field but also for his strong leadership and poise on the backend. In a recent tweet after the first padded practice session of training camp, he gave fans a glimpse into his mindset, expressing his deep passion for the game and what he truly loves about football. With a young group surrounding him in the secondary, Justin Reid now steps in as the seasoned veteran of the defensive back room. A two-time Super Bowl champion with several years of high-level play under his belt, Reid brings invaluable experience and leadership to the unit -- serving as both a steady presence on the field and a trusted resource off of it.
