‘Love what he’s done so far, relishes the moment,’ talented, feisty Texans corner Derek Stingley Jr. excels at camp

HOUSTON – Derek Stingley Jr. was definitely wearing his game face during a training camp practice Wednesday morning, displaying skill, toughness, athleticism and a feisty streak.

The Texans’ Pro Bowl alternate corner is as serious as they come when it comes to football and showed intensity and body control.

Stingley practically ran the route for speedy wide receiver Tank Dell, mirroring his movements on a deep sideline pass. Once Stingley leapt into the air to pick off star quarterback C.J. Stroud, there was a wrestling match with him and Dell as they fought for control of the football on the ground after the whistle blew. Ultimately, a referee signaled that it was an official interception for the former LSU star.

With textbook footwork, Stingley locks down wide receivers.

“He knows what’s going on to the point where he’s almost becoming like an expert on how the position is played in this scheme,” Texans defensive passing coordinator Cory Undlin said. “Love what he’s done so far. Just consistency, that’s all. We know he can make the big play.”

Later in practice, tempers flared when Texans safety Jimmie Ward delivered a hit on wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Words were exchanged, and, later, a shove from Stingley as he knocked veteran tight end Dalton Schultz to the ground before cooler heads prevailed and practiced continued without further incident. This marked the first real confrontation of camp for the defending AFC South champions.

“He’s a competitive kid,” Texans cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso said of Stingley. “He relishes the one-on-one moment. You can’t teach that as a coach, he has that inherently.”

While the Texans don’t encourage fights and this was more of a brief altercation, the Texans appreciate Stingley’s serious nature. He’s rarely penalized in games, too.

“We’ve got to stay within the lines and within the whistle,” Vasso said. “The extracurricular stuff is not what we want, but I like to see the [fire] and emotions are high. These guys are ready to compete against someone other than the Texans.”

Stingley intercepted two passes Wednesday in what’s become a regular occurrence.

In his second NFL season last year, Stingley was dominant after returning from a hamstring injury. He intercepted a career-high five passes.

All of Stingley’s coverage skills were on display late last season as the Texans’ talented cornerback shut down passing lanes to lead the NFL with three interceptions in December and nine passes defensed while allowing an astoundingly low 1.7 passer rating when targeted by opposing quarterbacks. He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for the first time.

“I actually think Sting is, and I won’t even shake when I say that, I think he’s one of the best DBs in the league,” said Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowl selection. “Especially from talent level. He’s fast. He can run. He can break and he’s competed at a high level throughout his career.”

Stingley is as talented as anyone on the Texans’ roster, but he’s the opposite of cocky. It wasn’t a surprise that Stingley didn’t brag about how he limited Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Amari Cooper to one reception for minus-six yards on three targets when he was the nearest defender in a playoff victory, including two tight windows, according to Next Gen Stats. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans broke from his usual strategy, assigning Stingley to shadow Cooper on 35 of 42 routes weeks after the imposing wide receiver set a single-game franchise record with 11 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns against the AFC South champions in a Christmas Eve rout.

Stingley allowed just one reception for -6 yards on 3 targets as the nearest defender, including two tight windows.

Since that successful postseason, Stingley has only continued to grow as a corner

“Derek has done a great job during camp,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He’s been very consistent. One of our most consistent players in camp, so I’m encouraged with where Derek is.”

Stingley is enjoying honing his skills against one of the most talented wide receiver corps in the NFL, including Diggs, Dell and Nico Collins.

“It is fun,” Stingley said. “Every day you get better, every day you will probably see something you that you have never seen before. So that is good because once we get into the game, there is probably going to be something schemed up like that so it is good that we are seeing it in practice now.”

Stingley went to Hawaii for the second consecutive year for a Cover One Elite Football Camp organized by his father, Derek Stingley Sr. The camp included Texans safety Jalen Pitre, linebacker Christian Harris and several other NFL players.

“It was good,” Stingley said. “It was a time to be somewhere else but to still work with my pops. Him having a couple of us out there just working on different techniques, different ways to play the game. We all took some of that and now we are here.”

Now, the Texans anticipate continual improvement from Stingley as he heads into his third NFL season. And his ability to cut off his area of the field creates more time for Pro Bowl pass rushers Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter to harass quarterbacks.

“We benefit a lot,” Anderson said. “I was telling ‘Sting,’ I was like ‘Bro, you still want me to play on your side?’ Since we got Danielle and we were joking about that and I said ‘Bro, he is unbelievable’ To see him work every day and see him come in, he is quiet and doesn’t say much, but when you turn the tape on, you just see him everywhere.

“Having a guy like that in the back makes our job so much easier just to go hunt, be free and be loose. They throw at Stingley, then they’re crazy, so having a guy back there like that is really a blessing.”

The growth from Stingley was obvious. Especially after recovering from a hamstring strain in the third week of the regular season that sidelined him for six games.

“Those secondary coaches let me work with him, welcomed me in, and Sting obviously was open to it,” said retired Texans Pro Bowl corner Johnathan Joseph, who mentored Stingley during training camp last year. “Being that I was a first-round pick, knowing what comes with that with the pressure of being in the public eye, being under scrutiny, being hurt, he wanted to come out and prove himself and I thought you started to see that.

“He’s right in there with guys like Sauce Gardner and the top guys you can put his name with them. You can see the ball skills and understand why he was one of the top-ranked kids coming out of high school and LSU.”

The way Stingley applies his low-key style on the field, there’s no taunting of his opponents. They’re treated with respect, but not reverence.

Off the field, Stingley is defined by a friendly, humble personality. He’s a man of action over words. Nothing matters more than his work product on the field, which is embodied by a controlled aggression.

Why talk a lot about football when you can play the game the way Stingley does? Why be anything other than true to oneself?

“For Derek and what I look for out of him this year, I look for him to continue to make strides in his game,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Sting has come along really well. Five interceptions last year, played really well for us. When you talk about attacking the ball, really shutting down one side of the field, it was impressive to see him grow as a player coming back off the injury, and just seeing the way he worked and the way he got after it.

“He was a guy that teams started to go away from. So, whenever you have a corner can operate in that manner, it’s only a plus for us. And I see Derek continuing to get better this year, as well.”

A consensus All-American at LSU as a freshman, Stingley overcame a Lisfranc foot injury to run a 4.37 in the 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. He’s actually much faster than that. Those traits and Stingley’s serious approach to the game convinced Texans general manager Nick Caserio to draft him third overall three years ago.

After an All-American freshman season at LSU in 2019, the corner only played in 10 games, missing most of the season with a Lisfranc injury in his foot. Although Stingley missed the final eight games of his rookie season due to a hamstring injury, he wowed Ryans with his work ethic last year after he was hired as the sixth coach in franchise history.

“He’s a talented player,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “He’s a talented athlete, so there’s always those elements where you’re like, ‘Oh, man. This guy has a skillset that’s pretty unique and pretty special.’ The acceleration from when he’s gotten back to where he is now has been really impressive. Never a question of work ethic or anything with him.

“He hasn’t had as much of the time on task with some of the techniques and coverage we’re playing, where he missed all that time. The acceleration from when he got back kind of in the program, to where he is now, it’s really been impressive and a testament to how he works. He’s playing at a pretty high level for us, for sure.”

Stingley haunted the weight room throughout the offseason, diligently working to reach his vast potential.

“With Stingley and the things that impress me the most, it starts back in the offseason when I’d say when I first got the job here, he was one of the guys who was here working,” Ryans said. “When it’s quiet in February, he was the one guy who was here putting in work with our strength and conditioning staff, and he was putting himself in position to have a really good season. Physically, he was in shape and he was ready to go.

“Throughout the entire year, what’s impressed me is just his confidence and his playmaking ability continues to shine. He continues to step up in the big moments and he’s gotten better with the more reps that he’s gotten. He’s truly gotten better and shown why he was drafted where he was drafted because he’s a top talent in the NFL and he’s proven that over these past few weeks. He’s proven that he’s a top corner in this league.”

Stingley led the Texans in interceptions in just 11 games played. He was an obvious Pro Bowl snub, but was named as an alternate.

“It means a lot because it’s doing something for the team,’ Stingley said. “Just locking in: technique, eyes, feet. Making sure I’m watching what I’ve got to watch, and I’ll most likely be in the right place to make a play.”

SEE ALSO: Texans corner Derek Stingley Jr. named AFC Defensive Player of the Month

Stingley intercepted Super Bowl winning quarterback Russell Wilson twice in a win over the Denver Broncos last season.

For the season, Stingley recorded 39 tackles and 13 passes defensed.

Between the 13th and 18th weeks of the season, Stingley had the top coverage grade from Pro Football Focus analytics. He was the only player in the NFL to intercept four passes in a three-game span.

Playing 96 percent of the defensive snaps, 687 overall, Stingley has yielded a 47.9 completion percentage rate, allowing 288 yards on 23 of 48 completions and two touchdowns for an opposing passer rating of 41.3

Inside the Texans’ locker room last season, Stingley smiled almost as if he was in on a private joke when asked about his series of breakthrough comparisons. That’s because his confidence has been unfazed by the interruptions of his playing time due to a few minor injury setbacks. He’s dealt with it all through a prodigious work ethic nurtured by his parents, faith and a strong belief that he would ultimately rise to the top. Through it all, Stingley has maintained a humble nature.

“I mean, I feel like my teammates always knew,” Stingley said. “I knew. I just believe in me. I know I put the work in and my teammates put the work in. I mean, it’s nice, but still got a lot to clean up on. It’s always a lot to improve on.”

Signed to a four-year, fully guaranteed $34.657 million contract that included a $22.385 million signing bonus, Stingley represents the prototype cover corner at 6-foot, 190 pounds with 4.37 speed in the 40-yard dash. He’s actually much faster than that clocking, but was coming off a Lisfranc sprain foot surgery.

When the Texans hired a defensive coach in Ryans, he was excited to start working with Stingley, who has elite cover skills and is always hungry to work and gain more knowledge about the game.

Before the Texans drafted Stingley, a former Chicago Bears colleague of Smith, who was dismissed after one season, predicted the AFC South franchise would wind up picking him. “He has all the traits,” the retired NFL employee said. “He’s got it all.”

Few players have the speed and command of the field that Stingley possesses or his acumen about the game.

He’s anticipating quarterbacks’ throws and pouncing on their mistakes. He’s also a willing and physical tackler.

“His athletic ability, it’s rare,” Ryans said. “A guy his size, the strength that he has, the speed that he plays with is rare at corner like that. His route recognition is picking up and he’s able to play smart football, being where he needs to be, then it comes down to him having that confidence to go up and catch the ball. He’s dialed in, he’s attentive to all the details and he’s seeing success because of the work and the preparation that he’s put in.”

Naturally, there are always going to be comparisons between two top-flight players at the same position from the same draft class. New York Jets All-Pro corner Sauce Gardner and Stingley are forever linked.

“The thing I like is he’s playing with confidence, and he’s showing up making plays. Stingley,” Ryans said. “He has been doing this. Everybody wants to talk about Stingley now. He’s been this player. He gets interceptions, now everyone wants to ask questions and talk about Stingley. Stingley has been a consistent player for us. That’s who he has been, and he’s just continued to show that growth. Now, I think everybody is seeing it just because of the big plays, but it’s not surprising with who he is.”

Stingley Jr. and his father have been preparing for these moments for his entire life.

He comes from a football family steeped in tradition and accomplishments.

Derek Stingley Sr. played in the Arena Football League for nine seasons after concluding his minor league baseball career. He played for everyone from the Albany Firebirds to the Chicago Rush, Arizona Rattlers, Carolina Cobras and Dallas Desperados and was an all-league selection in 1999 and won one championship. He was briefly with the New York Jets.

Stingley’s grandfather is the late Darryl Stingley, a former New England Patriots wide receiver who became a quadriplegic in 1978 after suffering a spinal cord injury on a hit by Oakland Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum. Stingley died in 2007 from heart disease and pneumonia complicated by his spinal injury.

As a coach, Stingley Sr. has worked for multiple teams, including the New Orleans VooDoo, Pittsburgh Power, Philadelphia Soul and the Georgia Doom.

Having that kind of deep football background in his home has been extremely beneficial for Stingley Jr. in his development.

“It’s great,” Stingley Jr. said. “I know everybody wishes they had somebody like my dad around them growing up, and I had that my whole life. Without him, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. So, blessed situation for real.”

Naturally, the conversations between a father and a son run the gamut. It’s not all football, all the time, but they do spend a lot of time discussing the intricacies and nuances of the game. They go over his performances, both as father and son and coach and player. While both are ultra-serious about football, the emphasis is built on how to keep getting better, encouraging and maintaining the highest standards.

Getting an honest, forthright opinion from someone who knows him and his game so well is invaluable.

“When Derek and I do talk, it’s all layman’s terms,” Stingley Sr. said. “I’ve been around the game long enough and coached him and seen a lot of defenses. When I start looking at the technical part of it and help him through those things, it makes sense. When it doesn’t make sense, I can bring it to our level. The way we talk about it, it’s relatable: ‘I see what you’re saying. What could I have done perfectly on that play?’

“When we have those talks, when it’s something pressing, it’s more so after the game, I’ll have mental notes. I can see it in my mind’s eye. After the game, he’ll be like, ‘All right, lay it on me. What you got to say about this play or that play?’ I will talk him through the play. The coach in me will come out. The dad in me will be like, ‘I can’t be too critical.’ Even when you make a play, it’s good, but, at the same time, there’s always things you can do better. It’s never aggressive. I don’t come at him unless I see something that’s not football, that’s entirely out of character like, ‘You don’t do that.’ I’ve never had to say that in college, maybe once or twice back in high school.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.