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DJ Bayan Amy, ESPN
HOUSTON – Since Danielle Hunter signed his two-year, $49 million contract to join the Houston Texans this offseason, the defensive end has taken on a mentor role with second-year pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.
The pair intend to “wreak havoc” on opposing crimes. Anderson is coming off his senior season when he won Defensive Player of the Year, and now he’s counting on the nine-year veteran to take his game to the next level.
“I really like Will,” Hunter said. “It’s like he’s in year four, five or six – how he plays and how he carries himself. He always takes responsibility. He always comes out and trains with the same attitude every day, trying to lead a group from the front. You don’t see that in players that are in the year 1.”
The two constantly talk about the nuances of the situation as they navigate OTAs and mandatory minicamp together. Hunter focused on Anderson’s fundamentals. According to Anderson, the former Minnesota Vikings player helped him improve his passing and rushing techniques in the “long arm” and “pass-through” techniques.
They also spent time working on hand placement. The goal is to more quickly get off the hands of offensive tackles when they come off the line of scrimmage, which can be painful.
“We did a lot of handwork, a lot of hand-to-hand combat. We were actually doing this drill and he grabbed my wrist, and I thought he almost broke my wrist because he’s so strong,” Anderson said with a laugh. “But he was teaching me how to keep my hands active while I was rushing.
“He had so much wisdom and knowledge that he would gush over all the men in the room.”
The plan for Hunter and Anderson is to bolster coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense as he enters year two. Ryans’ scheme is built around quarterbacks who pressure the pass rush with only four defenders.
“With Danielle and Will, I think they immediately have that connection that you need to achieve those goals,” Ryans said. “(They’re) playing against each other, picking off each other’s minds. Daniel is a veteran player in the league. He’s done this for a while, so he’ll be able to lean on him for advice on how he sees it.” I think that’s very important, I love the relationship they have, they work well together, and it’s great to see them both break down in the pocket and end up at the quarterback position.
The Texans had 46 sacks (tied for 13th) last season, which set a franchise record for a single season. The Texans’ defense also allowed the 11th-most points per game (21.1) and helped the team win the AFC South for the first time since 2019.
But there is room for improvement, as demonstrated by the playoff loss to the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. The Ravens’ 34 points were the third-most allowed by Houston last season, and their 229 yards were the most surrendered to Houston all season.
The Texans sacked quarterback Lamar Jackson three times in that game, with Anderson getting one. He finished his rookie season with seven sacks. Defensive end Jonathan Greenard led the team with 12.5 sacks, and the Texans let him walk in free agency and replaced him with one of the league’s most prolific pass rushers in Hunter, who was coming off a career-high 16.5 sacks.
“The biggest thing for (Ryans) is just getting together with the quarterback because that’s his vision for us both coming off the edge and burning the edge and getting together with the quarterback,” Anderson said. “As Danielle and I grow our relationship, this is how we see each other.”
The Texans made a few other changes along the interior of their defensive line. They lost defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency, and they traded defensive tackle Malik Collins to the San Francisco 49ers. They signed defensive end Denico Autry, who had 11.5 sacks last season for the Tennessee Titans, to a two-year, $20 million contract to help offset losses.
Trading a record-setting forward quartet might be a gamble, but the team viewed Hunter — one of the biggest names to hit the free-agent market — as a clear upgrade. His resume speaks for itself as the two-time All-Pro has the seventh-most sacks (87.5) since 2015.
At 29 years old, Hunter’s tutelage over the 22-year-old Anderson could be vital to getting the Texans where they want to go.
“His desire is just to be great, he’s always trying to get better,” Hunter said. “He’s trying to learn from me in everything he can. … You don’t see that very often.”
