DeMeco Ryans is back calling the defense in Houston, and the Texans are looking for more than a tweak. They need a reset.
After a month in which the unit has flashed its 2025 ceiling in brief stretches but too often unraveled, Ryans has taken over the play sheet from defensive coordinator Matt Burke. The hope is simple: get a defense that has already cost Houston three winnable games - against the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys - pointed in the right direction before Sunday’s matchup with the Tennessee Titans and quarterback Cam Ward.
The biggest question is how Ryans reshapes the coverage mix. Right now, Houston is using zone at the sixth-highest rate in the league, 84.3%, and opponents have taken full advantage.
Teams are throwing at the Texans at the seventh-highest rate in the NFL, 60.8%, and Houston has already surrendered 1,040 passing yards, the fifth-most in the league. That volume of zone has left too much room for opposing offenses to work underneath and too many chances to pick apart the secondary.
One working theory is that the Texans are trying to protect a few defensive backs from too much man coverage, including Kamari Lassiter, Jalen Pitre and Reed Blankenship. But elite passing teams such as the Bills, Bengals and Cowboys have either targeted those matchups or simply attacked the soft cushion Houston has been giving at the line of scrimmage.
A shift there would be the first sign of Ryans making his presence felt again. Another could come through the personnel.
The Texans are getting veteran safety M.J. Stewart back, and that matters.
Stewart, a ninth-year player, is returning from a torn quad suffered in November of last season, and his previous four years in Houston’s defense from 2022-2025 give this secondary a familiar option at a time when it badly needs stability. There’s also a chance rookie Kamari Ramsey could eat into Blankenship’s snaps in Week 5.
Blankenship, the former Philadelphia Eagle, currently leads the team in passer rating allowed at 125.0, has allowed the most touchdowns with two, ranks second in yards allowed with 220, and is tied for second on the team with 16 receptions surrendered.
That kind of production does not match the price tag. Blankenship signed a three-year, $24.75 million contract and is the third-highest paid defensive back on the roster behind Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre. If the struggles continue against Tennessee, Ryans could decide a change is needed sooner rather than later.
The final area is the red zone, where the Texans have to clean up the finishing work. Houston is allowing just 23.0 yards per game in the red zone, which ranks ninth-best in the league, but the results get ugly once opponents start cashing in.
The Texans are tied with the Carolina Panthers for sixth-worst in the NFL in red zone points allowed per game at 27.3. They’re also 20th in passing yards allowed per game in that area at 16.5, fourth-worst in EPA per pass at +0.23, and have given up seven red zone touchdowns.
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Texans Need DeMeco Ryans To Spark What This Defense Lacks
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Texans Bring Back Former Titans Receiver Before A Notable Week 5 Test
The Texans added a familiar face to their roster this week, signing wide receiver Bryce Oliver to the 53-man group ahead of their Week 5 meeting with the Titans. Oliver had already spent time on Houstons practice squad, and his path back comes after two seasons in Tennessee before his release, giving the Texans an extra receiver with some built-in familiarity as they get ready for a divisional matchup.
It is a move that gives Houston a little more flexibility in a receiver room that has already been changing, especially with special teams value carrying plenty of weight for the bottom of the roster. The timing also makes the decision a little more interesting, with the Texans lining up for a game against the team Oliver just left behind and more personnel movement still possible as the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]