The Houston Texans could not showcase their expertise in the field last season finishing with a 3-13-1 record while going 0-7-1 at home and 3-6 on the road. Following a dreadful season, the Texans are preparing themselves as a Super Bowl contender after having a strong offseason so far.
All the players look determined to brandish their skills and unveil the athleticism and coverage prowess that the teams’ cornerback Derek Singley Jr. revealed in his recent interview.
Way up only option to Derek Singley boosted Texans
Early on in the pre-draft period, their second-year cornerback Stingley was widely viewed as the best cornerback in the draft and after being tied with the Texans he showed much improvement between his first and second seasons.
However, the Texans player also talked about his improvement via Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston.com as he felt day-by-day he is going to be an expert in man coverage after playing a lot of zone as a rookie.
“Oh, I feel like I’ve improved and I’m seeing the whole field at a faster rate,” Stingley Jr. said this week, “I could kind of see it last year and in the years before that, but Year One to Year Two, you can see the pace a little bit more. Nothing’s really unexpected. Nothing really catches you off-guard anymore. I mean, it’s nice.”
Derek knows he is capable of doing almost everything according to his team’s desire and the player regularly keeps him on the run of meeting their expectations.
“I put in a lot of work every day with (conditioning) coach Mike (Eubanks),” Stingley said. “I didn’t even realize it until I started seeing everybody saying, ‘You got big, you got swole.’ Even when I was in high school, I always had muscle. It is a little different now.”
Stingley spent the latter half of last season on the shelf
When the Houston team drafted the cornerback as the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NFL draft, it appeared as a surprising move for the NFL world, yet later with his promising and strong game stats, he proved the decision of the team as a worthy one.
The rookie cornerback started the first nine games and recorded 43 tackles, 1 interception, and defended 5 passes. Unfortunately, he could not continue his play due to a hamstring injury and finished the season on the bench while missing almost half the season in total.
Nevertheless, letting down all those incidents, Stingley Jr. is emerging as a defensive breakout heading into his second NFL season with his constant thirst for more improvement.
Till now, the Texans seem to be moving in the right direction regarding their regular seasons’ planning, and the hiring of DeMeco Ryans as head coach and helping him lead Stingley in every step probably makes the process easier.
