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Ryans sends clear message to Texans offense Published 5:15 am Saturday, July 25, 2026 Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans made some curious comments when asked about the teams growth as they prepare for the 2026 season.
How can we be more elite in our execution, asked Ryans, now in his fourth year.
Our communication, can it be louder? Can we echo it more? Can we truly be tied together every time we line up? Thats what Ive seen when I talk about the process of us this year being better.
On its surface, these statements can be seen as simply a coach highlighting a need for overall team improvement.
But I say, let us narrow the scope here.
How can this be seen as anything other than a challenge to the offensive side of the football? The Texans defense is just fine.
Last year, Houston gave up the second fewest points per game in the NFL at 17.4.
That ranks just behind the league-leading SuperBowl champion Seattle Seahawks at 17.2.
This is clearly a title-caliber defense.
To make things better, defensive end Will Anderson signed a long term 3-year $150 million extension this offseason, and defensive end Danille Hunter returns to the front seven, along with enforcements like Ohio State rookie defensive lineman standout Kayden McDonald.
That side has more than demonstrated its ability to be tied together when it takes the field.
The issue is on offense, where the Texans are in the middle half of the league at 23.8 points per game.
It could rank higher if quarterback CJ Stroud lives up to the expectations that came during his dominant rookie season, in which he led Houston to the 2023 playoffs.
Stroud then proceeded to go on an offseason media tour, each appearance inflating an ego, a belief that he had quite possibly already arrived.
It bled over into the 2024 season, where he struggled under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.
The blame was placed on Slowik and he was shown the door the following winter.
CJ Stroud reportedly only respects people who can talk ball on his level.
While there is nothing wrong with possessing a deep understanding of the game, one has to wonder how much of that sentiment should be recharacterized as Stroud tells the coordinator how its going to go and not the other way around.
Last season, Houston hired Nick Haley as offensive coordinator.
He was fresh off the Los Angeles Rams coaching tree and Ryans believed he had found the right voice for Stroud, allowing Ryans to return to his beloved defense.
Its a mixed bag thus far.
Strouds 19 touchdowns and four interceptions are a bland taste, but he also posted a career-best completion rate of 64.5% in 2025.
Entering year four, Stroud wants a big contract, and Ryans needs solid quarterback play.
Ryans must remember his time as the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers.
In 2022, he fielded a defense similar to the one brewing in Houston.
The string that tripped that team up was an anemic offensive output by the Niners offense, in a 31-7 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 NFC Conference Championship Game.
Im guessing he would prefer to never experience that again.
The Texans have never been to a conference championship game.
Ryans defense has the chops to change that, but it now falls upon the contract-seeking Stroud to ensure the offense is more elite in their execution.
Lane Fobbs is a sports writer for the Victoria Advocate.
Drop him a line on Twitter/X @fobbstalkinball.