Here's everything Houston Texanshead coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday in preparation for the season opener, including his thoughts on facing Josh Allen, the consistency of James Cook in the run game and Kayshon Boutte'srole.
Question: On game-planning against Bills' QB Josh Allen
DeMeco Ryans: "Josh is a tremendous quarterback when it comes to playmaking ability. He does a really great job of extending plays, probably better than anyone in the league. Therefore, you have to be able to continue rushing as a defensive lineman. It's going to take extra effort from everyone. It's going to take guys to cover for a little bit longer because the guy is a really great playmaker."
Q: On team expectations heading into the season
Ryans: "I'm really excited to
see what this team becomes. They put in the work throughout Training Camp. I always talk to our guys about how you have to earn that confidence. Our guys have earned it. They've done a great job of preparing. It started today preparing for Buffalo and we have to continue to build that as the week goes along. I'm proud of this team where we sit right now today and now we get to go and show our work. We have to show up on game day and that's the main thing. The first game of the season always are tricky games to prepare for, tricky games when it comes to how the games go. It can go a lot of different ways, but for us as a team, for the past few seasons that I've been here, for us to get off to a really good start, it's going to take us starting fast on offense. When we've done well in our season opener, we played well on offense, so it starts there. Defense has to do a great job as well of being the strength, being the backbone of our team, but the offense, if we jump out, if we play fast, that'll be the key for us."
Q: On the 2026 Houston Texans Captains
Ryans: "We have the right four guys leading our team when it comes to captains. Jalen [Pitre] C.J. [Stroud], Azeez [Al-Shaair] and Will [Anderson Jr.]. I couldn't name four better guys if I tried. The team did a great job of selecting those guys because it's very evident how those guys go about their business every single day. They're consistent in their preparation. They care for the locker room. They're courageous when it's time to speak up. Those guys speak up, so that's who you want as captains. Our team selected those guys and they will represent us very well."
Q: On his excitement heading into Week 1 of the regular season
Ryans: "For me, it's different every year, but that first week is very exciting. Trying to not get too excited too quickly, but we put a lot of work in throughout the offseason. Our last season didn't end the way we wanted it to end, so now it's been a huge buildup to this season opener. We just have to go out and play the right way. Once the hoopla and the hype kind of calms down and we just get to playing football, it's going to always come down to, in the first game, are you on your communication? Are you on your details? Are you doing the things that you're supposed to do? Playing clean football. You play clean the first game, you have a chance to win it. That's what it will come down to once the hype subsides."
Q: On Bills RB James Cook III
Ryans: "James Cook is an exceptional player. He led the league in rushing last year, not to surprise anyone. This guy is a very impressive runner. When you talk about him, he's trying to stretch the defense horizontally and when he puts a foot in the ground, he's trying to go vertical and trying to see who was not in their proper gap. If you're not there, he's going to make you pay with explosive runs and that's how they generate most of their explosive runs. It's when someone is not exactly where they're supposed to be. You have to play very sound. You have to build a wall up front. You have to set edges. He got a run out on us last year, short yardage. He popped a run on us because we weren't fitting our gaps properly and we didn't finish from the safety position. It's all hands on deck to stop James Cook. It starts there. He's an exceptional player. He's going to deserve a lot of attention, which he should because the guy is impressive to watch."
Q: On what makes Bills RB James Cook III a threat
Ryans: "Precision is key when it comes to stopping him in the run. You can't over-pursue and try to play someone else's gap or do someone else's job when you're supposed to be where you're supposed to be. If you're not there, he will find you and that's what makes him a really great back. He's patient. He plays with really great vision. He's pressing the front side, but he'll catch you sleeping on the back side. You have to just remain disciplined. That word gets thrown out a lot, but it truly comes down to playing discipline, gap, sound, and defense. If you want to stop this guy, everybody has to be where they're supposed to be."
Q: On WR Kayshon Boutte
Ryans: "Kayshon is learning the playbook very well and we're throwing it all at him. He's a smart guy. He's picked up on what we've asked him to do. There was some carryover in the things that he's learning, so the speed of transition is definitely there. He's done a great job of being attentive to what we're asking him to do and we're throwing him out there, so let's see. We're trying to go win a football game. We traded for the guy for a reason, think he's a really good playmaker, so we want to see that show up on Sunday."
Q: On Bills WR DJ Moore
Ryans:"Adding DJ Moore is a big get for the Bills. He gives them that true number one receiver that I think they've been missing for a while. He can stretch the defense vertically, so you have DJ Moore to be concerned with and you also have [Dalton] Kincaid to be worried about. All eyes just can't go on Kincaid. You've got to be concerned with DJ Moore. He has, you know, some history with the Head Coach there. Him and [Joe] Brady were in Carolina, so I know they'll kind of pick up where they left off. He's familiar with that offense, so they're getting a guy they're familiar with who knows their offense, who can add some big-play value to their offense. We've got to cover him well. It gives Josh Allen a target downfield that they like to throw the ball, get the ball out of his hands quickly, but now you add that element of adding DJ Moore, now we have to be more aware for the play-action pass game that I think will be heightened in their offense this year, so we have to be aware for that."
Q: On the personnel of the Buffalo Bills
Ryans: “Overall, this is a new Buffalo Bills team. It's not the team we played the past couple years. New head coach, new coordinators on all three phases. What [Defensive Coordinator] Jim [Leonhard] brings, they're going to be a more multiple front, so you'll see more five-down fronts than they've had in the past. They're going to put their base defense out there. He's going to try to mix it up, try to confuse the quarterback with some disguises, bring in different pressures, drop in the outside linebackers and coverage. We have to be on it from a preparation standpoint because right now, for his track record, it's his first game calling it with the Bills. He has everything at his disposal when it comes to trying to confuse the quarterback. We just have to make sure we're playing rules ball and we're protecting the ball at all costs. We have to do a great job of trying to control the line of scrimmage. They have a really good front. They have added a lot of depth to their front, which I think will be a strong unit for them this year. Jim has called it in college, so he's not new to calling football games. He was a really great player in this league, made a lot of plays and now transitioned to coaching. He's been coaching for a while. He's not a newbie, he knows what he's doing. He knows how to try to get the offenses playing off key a little bit. I'm excited for the matchup. He'll throw some good things at us. Our offense has seen a lot of different things, they'll be ready to handle it.”
Q: On how good he believes the defense can be this season
Ryans: “I think our defense can definitely be one of the best defenses in the league, and that's the goal every year. We line up; we talk in the meetings about it. We don't shy away from it. We expect to go out and play well. You have to go do it, but our guys, they've done it before. That just doesn't automatically happen. You have to go prove it on Sundays, but our guys are up for any challenge, any given week versus any offense. I expect our defense, again, to be the strength of our team and I expect our offense to come right along with us. For us to be a good team and make it where we want to go, we have to have great defense and we have to have great offense. We've both got to complement each other and that's why you need to have a great team and that's what I'm preaching to our guys, is not just about the defense being great, our offense needs to be great as well.”
Q: On Bills RB James Cook III presence in the pass game
Ryans: “Cook is just a guy who’s dynamic when he gets the ball in his hands. The past couple years they've done a great job of getting the ball out quickly to guys, whether that's behind the line of scrimmage, it doesn't matter. Cook, still, he gets the ball in his hands. He's fast enough. He's elusive enough. He's strong enough to break runs. He has the home run ability. Anytime you get the ball in his hands, we have to close space on him as quickly as possible and not give him as many options. We have to play tight defense when it comes to the back, whether he's out in a passing route or if he's running the football, we need everybody on him to smother him as quickly as possible.”
Q: On DE Will Anderson Jr. and DE Danielle Hunter as a tandem
Ryans: “Never seen anything like Will and Danielle and I'm happy they're on my side. It's fun when you game plan and you have those two guys, we can put more on those guys because they're two of the best pass rushers in the league and everybody doesn't have that luxury. We put a lot on those guys and we know teams are game planning for those guys because if you don't, they're very disruptive and they can wreck a game. We try to do our best to move those guys around, put them in different positions to be successful, but what a blessing it is to have Will and Danielle on your side. It makes me such a better coach.”
Q: On the benefit of QB C.J. Stroud facing the defense all Training Camp
Ryans: “C.J. and our offense, they battle all Training Camp versus a really tough defense and they've had their days where they've made plays. It's been a very competitive camp and that's what I love about our camp. It was very competitive. Now let's go see it against someone different, but they've gotten a lot of great work. I feel like our tackles have gotten a lot of great work from our edge players. Our offensive line has done a great job all camp protecting C.J., so we expect to see the same thing. It's going to start with how we protect, also how we run block. Guys have played aggressive up front, run the ball well because of the offensive line and what they've done blocking. It all plays together. It all ties together. Training Camp is about that iron sharpening iron. We've sharpened each other all camp and now we get the opportunity to go put it on display in front of everyone.”
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Everything Texans HC DeMeco Ryans said ahead of Week 1's matchup vs. Bills
