Texans’ improved defense faces ‘dynamic playmaker’ in Colts QB Anthony Richardson and ‘downhill’ runner Jonathan Taylor

HOUSTON – Strengthening the defense was one of the Texans’ top priorities this offseason.

So general manager Nick Caserio orchestrated a two-year, $51 million deal for Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, a three-year, $34 million deal for veteran, hard-hitting linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and drafted Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter in the second round.

Now, that improved defense is set to be tested in the season opener against a talented Indianapolis Colts backfield led by dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson and fearsome fullback Jonathan Taylor.

Richardson suffered a concussion after running for two touchdowns in the Texans’ season-opening loss to the Colts last season before the hulking former University of Florida star was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Richardson, one of the league’s largest and most athletic quarterbacks at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds with a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and a 3-foot-10 vertical jump, finished his short rookie season with a 2-2 record as a starter and completed 50 of 84 passes (59.5 percent) for 577 yards and rushed for 136 yards on 25 carries for four touchdowns.

“Anthony Richardson, as he’s shown in the few snaps he’s had, has shown that he can be a dynamic playmaker and run the ball, throw the ball,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “So he’s a playmaker. You have to account for him every snap. It’s because of his dynamic ability to run the ball. So he’s a really good challenge for us, defensively. And we’ve definitely got our work cut out for us.”

Richardson threw a touchdown pass in the Colts’ final preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but also threw an interception. The Texans lost the opener to the Colts when Gardner Minshew, now the starting quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders, replaced Richardson. The Texans won a key late-season game to clinch the AFC South title at Lucas Oil Stadium by beating the Colts behind a razor-sharp performance by Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud, last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

“He’s going to make plays,” Texans safety Jimmie Ward said of Richardson. “Even though some of the things he does, you don’t really coach, he’s a raw talent that allows him to use his feet a lot. He’s a big kid, too. I’m curious to see how he’s going to attack us. Is he going to slide or not? I guess I’ll see. I guess our whole defense will see it. I’m looking forward to the challenge. I feel like he’s a really good player and he’s got a really good team behind him, too.”

Taylor has a punishing running style and is also a breakaway threat. The former Wisconsin standout and All-Pro selection has 4.39 speed in the 40-yard dash at 5-foot-10, 226 pounds. Signed to a three-year, $42 million contract last season, Taylor ran for a team-high 188 yards on 30 carries with a touchdown in the regular-season finale loss to the Texans. He finished the season with 741 rushing yards and seven touchdowns after settling a contract dispute in October. He led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021.

“I think Jonathan is an effective running back simply because he runs with great balance of contact,” Ryans said. “It takes more than one player to bring him down. He does a really good job of breaking tackles, he plays physical, he plays downhill. He runs with the ball, he plays the game the right way. I think that’s what makes him a really good running back.”

Taylor’s 100-yard game marked the first time the Texans allowed an opposing running back to pass for 100 yards against them last season.

“The key is consistency, and that’s always important,” Ryans said. “The first game is going to be about tackling. You have to tackle as a team, right? You talk about our defense last year, we had too many missed tackles. So for us to improve the running game and also the passing game, we have to be a better tackling team, and it’s just more hands on the ball, more guys securing and wrapping.”

ANDERSON UPDATE

Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr., named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year last season, is trending toward playing against the Colts, league sources said.

Anderson has been sidelined for most of the preseason with an ankle injury. He has made steady progress and ran last week in practice but did not participate in drills. He is expected to test it as early as Wednesday in practice.

“We’ll see where we go throughout the week,” Ryans said when asked about Anderson. “I feel good about all our guys. I’m ready to get the season started.”

The Texans’ depth behind Anderson consists primarily of Derek Barnett and Jerry Hughes.

Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon missed most of the preseason with a quadriceps injury and was held out of every game.

Mixon is now fully healthy and showed explosiveness in a joint workout with the Los Angeles Rams.

Signed to a three-year, $27 million extension after an offseason trade with the Cincinnati Bengals, Mixon is expected to have a heavy workload as a runner and receiver out of the backfield.

“Joe will be Joe,” Ryans said. “Joe will do what he’s done his whole career. I don’t think you’ll see anything different. He’s a strong, physical back. He’s going to get yards. So I’m excited to see Joe running the ball behind our offensive line.”

A former second-round draft pick out of Oklahoma, Mixon signed a contract that includes $13 million guaranteed with a $10 million payout in the first year of his new deal. Mixon has scored 29 total touchdowns over the past three seasons.

“I feel good,” Mixon said during the preseason. “The only thing is getting used to the heat. It’s hard to get used to it. But other than that, I feel good and I’m getting in shape with the offensive line and the receivers, and obviously CJ.”

Mixon is expected to be a focal point of the Texans’ offense in offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s playbook.

And the Texans will try to establish the run against a strong front line that includes defensive tackles DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.

“They’re really good up front, starting with the two guys on the inside, Buckner and Stewart, those guys are a force on the inside,” Ryans said. “But it’s not a question of whether we have to run, it’s a question of whatever we have to do to move the ball up and down the field. It doesn’t really matter. It’s a matter of running the ball, throwing the ball, doing whatever it takes to make us successful, moving the ball, that’s what we’re going to do.”

REMARKS : The Texans will announce team captains later this week, Ryans said. … The Colts’ linebacker duo of E.J. Speed ​​and Zaire Franklin is one of the fastest and best in the NFL. Both players are extremely active and instinctive. “Yeah, E.J. and Zaire, they’ve been doing it together for a while,” Ryans said. “They’re long, athletic, quick guys who can make plays from side to side. And we’ve got to be able to put a cap on those guys because they make most of their plays once the ball gets past the defensive line. Those are the guys you have to stop because of their speed, their length, their athleticism.”

LAST WORD

Named NFL Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America and runner-up to Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski for NFL Coach of the Year by the Associated Press in his first season as a head coach, Ryans is determined to continue growing.

“As a head coach, I’ve learned to spend more time with my assistant coaches,” Ryans said. “I’m more invested in the assistant coaches, I spend more time developing and helping the other coaches that I work with. I really appreciate all the work that these guys do. All the sacrifices they make to be here and the time they put in to be with their families. For me, it’s just about being more invested in these guys and being more of a developer, talking to the players on the field but also talking to our coaches.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com