Texans adjust to ‘tough’ loss of injured linebacker Christian Harris, counting on Henry To’oTo’o, Jake Hansen

HOUSTON – The subtraction of starting linebacker Christian Harris creates a short-term void in the Texans’ defense.

Harris aggravated a strained calf after returning to practice in training camp and was placed on injured reserve and is eligible to be designated for return after four games.

Harris recorded a career-high 101 tackles last season and returned an interception for a touchdown in a playoff victory over the Cleveland Browns. Harris is coming off his best NFL season. He became the seventh player in NFL history to record a pick-six for a touchdown and record a sack in the same playoff game since retired Texans defensive end J.J. Watt did so against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012. Harris had eight tackles, two for losses against the Browns. He had seven more tackles one for a loss and repeatedly pressured Baltimore Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson in an AFC divisional round playoff loss.

Now, the Texans are adapting to his absence by plugging in Henry To’oTo’o and Jake Hansen as starters next to veteran middle linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair.

“Yeah, not having Christian is tough,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “Christian really, man, he took a jump as the year went on last year. Was really excited about his growth and he was in a really great spot for us, so it hurts not having him with the young guys who are behind him, Henry, Jake, Del’Shawn (Phillips), all those guys have to step up and just do their part. They don’t have to be Christian, they just have to do what they’re supposed to do, play our style of football and they’ll be just fine.”

To’oTo’o kept showing flashes as a rookie, displaying enough instincts, toughness and knowledge of the defense that the Texans coaching staff trusted him as a regular on defense.

He wound up playing in 14 games with six starts and produced 61 tackles, a fumble recovery, a forced fumble and two tackles for losses for the AFC South champions.

And, now, the Texans are counting on him Sunday’s road game against the Indianapolis Colts against former NFL rushing champion Jonathan Taylor.

“Man, just come out and play ball,” To’oTo’o said. “I think we’ve been doing it for a while. Next man up, doing exactly what we did throughout camp. Coach DeMeco can build trust with you if you do your job consistently over and over. We’re excited about the opportunity. I’m excited to play a lot of ball.”

Taylor rushed for 188 yards against the Texans last season in a regular-season finale that clinched the division for Houston.

“Man, we’ve got to dictate and dominate,” To’o’To’o said. “That’s our motto as a team, as a defensive group, kind of demand dominance from everybody. Really another opportunity for kind of demanding that violence from everybody.”

A former Alabama standout and fifth-round draft pick, To’oTo’o occasionally fell short on the field was in his tackling form, missing a lot more tackles than he did for the Crimson Tide. He missed 16 tackles, according to Pro Football Focus analytics.

A year later, To’oTo’o is taking better angles toward the football and appears leaner and quicker.

“Tackling, everyone knows I kind of struggled in tackling last year,” To’oTo’o said. “I think that is one of the biggest things that I have harped on this offseason was tracking angles and trying to get better at being a better tackler. I think that has been huge for me this training camp so hopefully it translates on Sundays.”

And Hansen, a former undrafted free agent from Illinois, has played well in spot action since making the in 2022. A former second-team All-Big 12 selection, Hansen has recorded 37 carer tackles, one sack, two tackles for losses, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble in 25 career games with two starts in the NFL.

Mentored by Al-Shaair, To’oTo’ohas been soaking up his advice about how to play the game, how to prepare, how to do everything it takes to be a complete defensive player.

The influence from an established player has been invaluable after he appeared in 436 defensive snaps last season for 43 percent of the playing time and 192 special teams snaps for 46 percent of the playing time in the kicking game.

“He has been huge,” To’oTo’o said. “I give him a lot of props because he knows how it is supposed to look physically, mentally, he knows what it takes to be a true pro. He has been a huge addition to our room. I try to pick his brain as much as I could and exactly what he is doing, what time he wakes up, what he eats, I try to imitate everything he does because you guys have seen his success. He is a great guy, great leader for us and our defense.”

A lot of his improvement stems from being more comfortable on the field and in his self-belief.

“In this league, you have to be confident in everything you do,” he said. “So, I think my confidence has been consistent every single day. Just being able to come out here and compete and believe in my ability and what I can do and contribute to helping this team be the best team that we can. I try to come with confidence every single day.

“I got Azeez to lean upon and ask for advice and he has been huge for me on that part. He knows exactly how DeMeco wants it. He is a respected player around the league. So having him add to our locker room is huge and we have nothing but the utmost respect for him.”

Yes, Al-Shaair is occasionally tough on his protege, just as he is with everyone.

“Not yet, but he is on me every day,” To’oTo’o said when asked if he’s been lectured by Al-Shaair. “My dawg is on me every day.”

To’oTo’o was signed to a four-year, $4.08 million contract that includes a $244,977 signing bonus.

The gold standard frequently mentioned for the Texans: San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner.

That’s how the Texans want their linebackers to operate.

“Henry has been very consistent this time around,” Ryans said. “Henry has been a guy that our defense can rely on. He is going to be in the proper position and be where he’s supposed to be. He does a great job with Azeez when it comes to communicating and that’s a huge thing in our defense of communicating and Henry does a really awesome job with that.”

To’o’To’o’s best friend at Alabama, Harris, was drafted in the third round two years ago and emerged as an impact player toward the end of his rookie year. In college, he was teammates with Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and wide receiver John Metchie III.

A Tennessee transfer, To’oTo’o has run the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds.

He had 94 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks in his final season at Alabama. He had 111 tackles in 2021 with four sacks and one forced fumble.

There are a lot of parallels for To’oTo’o from his experience at Alabama playing for coach Nick Saban to what he’s doing now in the NFL.

And he has made strides in every area, including his condition

“I just worked harder,” he said. “You have to know what it takes to be an NFL pro and I think I have a great support system around me and the guys here, my dad back at home. I think we just trained a lot harder than what we usually do. I think we just trained a lot harder than I did previous seasons.

“I think the biggest thing for me is my body. Keeping my body in tip top shape. Keeping my body the most lean that I can be. Not trying to get too sloppy when practices get harder, keep up with my regimen. I think that is the biggest thing for me.”

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