Here's everything Houston Texanshead coach DeMeco Ryans said following roster cutdowns, including his thoughts on the initial roster, several difficult cuts that were forced to be made and the future of the wide receiver room.
Question: On working on WR Kayshon Boutte and QB C.J. Stroud’s relationship
DeMeco Ryans: “Kayshon has done a really nice job of diving into the preparation. Coach [Ben] McDaniels has been working with him since we were in Carolina. He’s been dialed in to his preparations, getting himself ready to go. He’s out there running routes, lined up, getting his plays done; he’ll be ready to go on game day.”
Q: On what stood out about WR Kayshon Boutte
Ryans: “What I saw from Kayshon in New England was a guy who is very competitive
at the catch point. He has very strong hands, makes contested catches, and he's coming down with the ball nine times out of ten. I saw that in his play and that really stood out to me.”
Q: On the dynamic of the offensive line unit
Ryans: “Our offensive line has gelled really well together. Throughout camp, that's where you try to find who are the best five guys and you want those guys to start working together as soon as possible. We were able to solidify a group and those guys have been doing a great job of communicating, working well together and we'll see how that continues to progress. I'm really proud of the offensive line. I'm excited for them and to see where they'll go this season and how they'll continue to grow as a group. We have some young guys in there who's working together. ‘Tae’ is still a young guy. Ed [Ingram] is young. We have some young guys in there along with [Keylan] Rutledge that are still finding their way but they're doing a really good job of communicating and working together. That's what offensive line is about. When you play together, you play with good fundamentals, good technique, you have a chance. They've done that.”
Q: On C/G Evan Brown
Ryans: “What stood out for me is how smart he is and how he's picked up on things we've asked him to do. He's a loud communicator. He takes charge up front. That's what you need from that center position. He's done a really good job of taking charge and that's what set him apart for me. He's physical. He's played multiple positions, multiple schemes. I'm just looking at what he's done while he's been here. That's what speaks volumes to me. Every day the guy's out there working. He's getting better, continues to improve. He battles no matter who he's going against. That's what did it for me, not what he did in previous stops.”
Q: On the difficulty of evaluating offensive linemen
Ryans: “It's very hard to evaluate offensive linemen, especially coming out of college. Guys are asked to do so many different things. ‘What are they being coached on? How have they been coached?’ You really have to get down to the core of what a guy has been asked to do. You just really want to take the guy and do private workouts, talk to him individually, just to see his makeup, to see how can he learn, how can he retain information and how can a guy go out and play physically, being athletic enough to stay with guys. As a defensive line, as we all know, defensive linemen have gotten so much better in the NFL and they are a tough matchup, especially now with the interior. The tackles are so great now, along with the edge guys. Are you athletic enough to move and stay with guys? Also, are you physical enough? Are you smart enough to make the proper calls, put yourself in the right position? It is a tough position and it's deeper than just watching the film and saying this guy is a good player. It goes way beyond that. ‘What scheme is the guy being asked to do? How is he asked to take on double teams? What type of footwork is he using? How is he asked to pass it? What is he asked to do with his hands in his pass set?’ There’s so much detail that it's a lot to process when we talk about offensive line, but it's a position that you have to have. They have to play really well for you to have a good football team. I'm thankful for our coach. Coach [Cole] Popovic has done a great job of just being consistent in what he's teaching, the technique, making it clear for the guys so they can process and play fast without thinking a lot. He's done a really good job of just continuing to lead and encourage those guys.”
Q: On what DE Sabastian Harsh and CB Collin Wright did to stand out as an undrafted rookies
Ryans: “I think Sabastian is a guy who we talk about in Training Camp and the competition. Sabastian is a guy who has earned his way on the team. Every time he was out there on the field, he found a way to make plays. He did it the way we asked him to do it. He showed up time and time again. He missed a little time with injury, then he showed back up again, still doing the same thing as where he left off. You see a guy with the type of motor that he has, the strength that he has, the playmaking ability that he has, he deserves to be on a team. We're not going to let a guy like that out. We wanted to keep him here. We see the talent that he has. He's a really good pickup by our scouting department, by [General Manager] Nick [Caserio], finding a guy like Harsh and him making our team. Then you go to Colin Wright, a local guy from here. Ever since he stepped in the building in OTAs, rookie mini camp, he's a guy that's been very consistent. No matter which receiver he's gone up against, he never shied away. He stood there. He found a way to make a play on the football. Every day he was out there at practice. He's another guy who earned the right to be on the team. It's not just we like the guys and they're good guys. No, we feel like both guys can help us win games just because of the consistency of which they've shown out there on the practice field.”
Q: On T Aireontae Ersery
Ryans: “I like not talking about ‘Tae’ a lot because that means he's doing his job well [laughs]. I think we get blinded by ‘Tae’ and just what he's done. He's still a young player, a young ascending player who came in as a right tackle from college and we put him at the left tackle position and he's handled it really well. He has a lot of work on his hands every day going against Will [Anderson Jr.] and Danielle [Hunter]. He's gotten better from that work those guys have given him. ‘Tae’ has been doing a really good job. I expect him to have a really good year. This year is just about being consistent with what he's been doing, keeping his head down, keep working. He's done a good job.”
Q: On the confidence in the offense improving from last season
Ryans: “We have to go out and show it. We don't have to keep talking about what we're going to do or who we're going to be as a team. There's nothing to talk about in my mind.It's a matter of us showing. Showing is the proof. We have to go out and show it and people will see it.”
Q: On QB C.J. Stroud’s preparation for this season
Ryans: “To start, every season is a big season. This season isn't more important than 2023 for me. With that in mind, I've seen C.J. from his preparation standpoint. ‘Has he gotten better?’ Yes. ‘Has he gotten more comfortable?’ Yes. It's his second year into the offensive scheme. He should be more comfortable. He should be more confident in what he's doing. Second time around, I'm looking to see him go out and do what he's done all offseason. He's done a really good job of commanding the offense. Great job of communicating with everyone, offensive line, receivers, tight ends, running backs. He's done a great job just having all those guys together. Leading, speaking up in meetings, doing all those things you expect from your starting quarterback.C.J. has handled himself tremendously all offseason.”
Q: On why he does not set expectations
Ryans: "To start for me, I always have high expectations of myself. This is a tough business that we do, so I don't know what low expectations are. That's never been in my MO. That's never been in my life. Anything I try to do, I set out to be the best at what we're doing. That doesn't change for me leading a football team, coaching a linebacker group, coaching a youth flag football team, whatever that looks like. I want to go out and win. That's all I know. I'm a competitor. I love competing at anything that I do. That's my expectation."
Q: On the evaluation process for putting players on the Practice Squad
Ryans: "The evaluation process during the cutdown, it's a very nerve-wracking process. There's always more than 53 guys who are worthy to make your team. That's what makes the process hard. Telling guys you know you want to stick around, but you can't keep them just based on the numbers. It's out of our control, but we have to let some guys go. You hope, you sit and wait, hopefully, no one gets claimed and they're able to come back and be on our practice squad. You spend so much time working with these guys, understanding our schemes and all three phases, they're on it. Those are the guys you want back. We're thankful enough to get the majority of our guys back. We only lost one guy to a waiver claim. Guys also had the decision to go other places, which is their choice. For us to get a lot of our young guys back, I'm very happy about that because we get the opportunity to continue to work with them and continue to develop them. That's what they need. They need that growth. They need that development. They need that time of being in the same system, hearing the same verbiage. They need that for a year so they can see the growth."
Q: On how players deciding to come back to the Texans' practice squad after having offers from other teams is a reflection of the coaching staff
Ryans: "We're good salesmen."
Q: On TE Brevin Jordan
Ryans: "Brevin is very close. We expect Brevin to be out practicing next week. Brevin is definitely close. I love Brevin. Ever since the first time I got here, I always speak highly of Brevin just because of the joy that he brings and the type of person that he is. There's love being around him. Love the worker that he is. He's had some unfortunate things happen when it comes to injury-wise, but there's no one with a better attitude in how you attack a day than Brevin Jordan. When he gets the football in his hand, I'm still thinking of the Cleveland Browns game when he catches a short pass and he houses it down the sideline. That's the Brevin that I remember that always sticks with me. Can we find a way to get the ball in Brevin Jordan's hands? He's going to make a play with it. I'm always pulling for Brevin and I was happy to get him back on our team."
Q: On being patient with players who suffer serious injuries
Ryans: "There's no one that hurts more when he suffers a catastrophic injury than myself. I've been there. I've had those injuries. Your season is over, it's tough to get back, so I've been there. I've been in those guys' shoes, so I understand that. How everybody kind of just leaves you to the side and forgets about you. It's a lonely moment. It's a lonely process of working yourself back. For me, I always have a heart for those guys. I'm always going to give those guys the time that they need to recover. I think it's only right because here in Houston, we truly care about our guys. I care about them getting back on the field if that happens. If not, I still want those guys to be great young men. How can I find a way to impact them in another way? They can still be impactful outside of football if you don't come back from the injury. Every injury happens, you're never going to be the same as you once were. It's going to look a little different when you have injuries. Guys just have to understand that. I'm here to support all of our guys who go through the most difficult time in their life of not having football due to injuries. I'm going to stick with them and support them as best as I can."
Q: On the biggest different going through the cutdowns now versus his first year
Ryans: "Attacking the 53, for me it's not overwhelming; it's just a process like anything else. It always still comes down to a handful of guys at the end. That hasn't changed. It always comes down to three, four or five guys you have to make a decision on. There are some tough decisions to make every year. It's been that way for me ever since I've been in this position. There was tough decisions to make this year. I want to keep everybody. Can we increase the roster so we can have more players? That would be a great thing for everyone around the league. We get guys who are made of the right stuff. If they don't make it here, I'm very confident these guys will go and impact another organization in a big way."
Q: On the Rivalries uniforms
Ryans: "Everybody loves them, huh? Coach loves them too. They're sweet, they're really nice. A lot of work went into designing the uniforms. A lot of thought went into making it Houston and that's the cool part about it. My wife gives me a hard time, always on the Houston blue. I didn't understand it, but now I understand how important the Houston blue is and what it means to the city. They're really cool uniforms. I'm pretty sure those are the best rivalries uniforms that have come out to date. Great job, Houston. It just gives you more pride for your city, for the team, to see everybody excited about the uniforms come out. My kids were crushing me on like, 'Daddy, have you seen the uniforms? Have you seen them?' No, I have not seen them. They didn't show me. I didn't get a sneak peek. My kids were fired up about them. We were able to give them a little gear, so they're fired up."
Q: On his wife being from Houston
Ryans: "She is from Houston. Those uniforms mean a lot. I'm thankful that we were able to execute it in a really great manner."
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Houston Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said following the 53-roster finalization
