Texans’ upgraded defense faces ‘dynamic playmaker’ in Colts’ QB Anthony Richardson, ‘downhill’ runner Jonathan Taylor

HOUSTON – Fortifying the defense was one of the Texans’ top priorities this offseason.

So, general manager Nick Caserio orchestrated a two-year, $51 million contract for Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, a three-year, $34 million deal for hard-hitting veteran linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and drafted Georgia cornerback Kamari Lassiter in the second round.

Now, this upgraded defense is about to be tested in the season-opener against a talented Indianapolis Colts backfield headlined by dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson and bruising running back Jonathan Taylor.

Richardson suffered a concussion after rushing for two touchdowns in the Texans’ early-season loss to the Colts last season before the imposing former University of Florida star was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Richardson, one of the biggest and most athletic quarterbacks in the league at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds with a 4.43 time in the 40-yard dash and a 40 1/2 inch vertical leap, finished his abbreviated rookie season with a 2-2 record as a starter and completed 50 of 84 passes (59.5 percent) for 577 yards and rushed for 136 yards on 25 carries for four touchdowns.

“Anthony Richardson, as he showed with the limited amount of snaps that he’s had, he’s shown that he could be a dynamic playmaker and running the ball, also throwing the football,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “So, he’s a playmaker. You have to account for him every single snap. It’s because of his dynamic ability to run the football. So, he poses a really good challenge for us, defensively. And we definitely have our hands full.”

Richardson had a touchdown pass in the Colts’ preseason finale against the Cincinnati Bengals, but also threw a pick-six. The Texans lost the first game against the Colts as Gardner Minshew, now the Las Vegas Raiders’ starting quarterback, replaced Richardson. The Texans won a key late-season game to clinch the AFC South division title at Lucas Oil Stadium as they defeated the Colts behind an ultra-sharp performance from Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud, last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

“He’s going to make plays,” Texans safety Jimmie Ward said of Richardson. “Just because some of the stuff that he does you don’t really coach, it’s raw talent where a lot of the time he can use his feet. He’s a pretty big boy, too. I’m interested to see how he’s going to attack us. Is he going to slide or not going to slide? I guess I’ll see. I guess our whole defense will see. I’m looking forward to the challenge. I feel like he’s a really good player and he’s got a great team, too, behind him.”

Taylor has a punishing running style and is also a breakaway threat. The former Wisconsin standout and All-Pro selection has 4.39 speed in the 40-yard dash at 5-10, 226 pounds. Signed to a three-year, $42 million contract last season, Taylor rushed for a season-high 188 yards on 30 carries with one touchdown in the regular-season finale loss to the Texans. He finished the season with 741 rushing yards and seven touchdowns after ending a contract dispute in October. He led the NFL with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in 2021.

“Jonathan, I think he’s a successful running back just because he runs with such great contact balance,” Ryans said. “It takes more than one guy to get him down. He does a really good job breaking tackles, He plays physical, he plays downhill. He runs the ball, plays the game the right way. I think that’s what makes him a really good running back.”

The 100-yard game by Taylor represented the first time that the Texans had let an opposing running back hit the century mark against them last season.

“The key is consistency, and it’s always important,” Ryans said. “The first game is going to be about tackling. You have to tackle as a team, right? So, you talk about our defense last year, it’s too many missed tackles. So, for us to improve the run game and also the passing game, we have to be a better tackling team, and it takes just more hands to the ball, more guys securing and wrapping up.”

ANDERSON UPDATE

Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr., the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year last season, is trending toward playing against the Colts, according to league sources.

Anderson was sidelined for the majority of the preseason with an ankle injury. He has been making steady progress and ran last week during practice, but didn’t participate in drills. He’s expected to test it out as soon as Wednesday at practice.

“We’ll see where we go throughout the week,” Ryans said when asked about Anderson. “Feeling good about all our guys. Ready to get rolling for the year.”

The Texans’ depth behind Anderson is comprised primarily of Derek Barnett and Jerry Hughes.

Texans Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon missed the majority of the preseason with a quadriceps injury and was held out of all of the games.

Mixon is fully healthy now and displayed explosiveness during a joint practice session with the Los Angeles Rams.

Signed to a three-year, $27 million extension after an offseason trade from the Cincinnati Bengals, Mixon is expected to have a heavy workload as a runner and receiver out of the backfield.

“Joe will be Joe,” Ryans said. “Joe will be doing what he’s done his entire career. I don’t think you’ll see anything different. He’s a strong, physical back. He’s going to get yards. So, I’m excited about seeing Joe run the ball behind our offensive line.”

A former second-round draft pick from Oklahoma, Mixon is signed to a deal that includes $13 million guaranteed with a $10 million payout in the first year of his new contract. Mixon has scored 29 total touchdowns over the past three seasons combined.

“Man, I feel good,” Mixon said during the preseason. “Only thing is getting used to this heat. It’s hard getting used to that. But, other than that, man, getting my legs up under me and able to get that chemistry with the O-line and receivers and obviously C.J., Man I feel great.”

Mixon figures to be a focal point of the Texans’ offense in offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s playbook.

And the Texans will try to establish the run against a stout front seven that includes defensive tackles DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart.

“They are really great front seven, start with the two interior guys, Buckner and Stewart., those guys are a force inside,” Ryans said. “But it’s not about if we have to run it, whatever we have to do to move the football up and down the field. It really doesn’t matter. It’s running the ball, throwing the ball, whatever it takes for us to be successful, moving the football that is what we will do.”

NOTES: The Texans will announce team captains later this week, Ryans said. ... The Colts’ linebacker tandem of E.J. Speed and Zaire Franklin is one of the fastest and best in the NFL. Both players are extremely active and instinctive. “Yeah, EJ and Zaire, they’ve done it for a while together,” Ryans said. “They’re long, athletic, fast guys who can make plays sideline-to-sideline. And we have to be able to get a hat on those guys because they make most of their plays once the ball gets past the defensive line. Those are the guys who you have to stop because their speed, their length, their athleticism.”

FINAL WORD

Named the NFL Coach of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America and the runner-up to Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski for Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year in his first season as a head coach, Ryans is determined to keep growing.

“For me, as a head coach, what I’ve learned is just spending more time with my assistant coaches,” Ryans said. “Pouring into the assistant coaches more, spending more time developing and helping the other coaches that I work with. I really appreciate all the work that these men do. All the sacrifices that they give up to be here and the time they put in to be with their family. For me, it is just pouring into those guys more and being more of that developer, talking about it with players on the field but also with our coaches.”

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