‘Immediate impact, toughness, unique rusher, ready to go,’ Texans excited about return of Denico Autry from suspension

HOUSTON – When the Texans first signed veteran defensive lineman Denico Autry, he was already wearing his gameface and he was initially intense and relatively silent as he chose his words sparingly.

As the new guy, Autry was concentrating on his work and absorbing the playbook.

Now, Autry ready to make some noise as he’ll make his debut with the Texans’ defense on Sunday in a high-profile road game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Reinstated from a six-game suspension for a violation of the NFL performance-enhancing drug policy, Autry has impressed his teammates and coaches with his playing style and he’s warmed up after getting to know everyone and formed friendships.

“He’s great, I think out of everybody in the D-line room I look at him as a big brother,” Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said. “We just have that relationship now. Like he was quiet when he first got here, mean mug everything, but the more I picked up and messed with him a little bit, he opened up. It’s great having him here.

“I told him I was watching his highlights and I didn’t think he celebrated. So, I watched and I seen him jumping up and down and it got me ready to play with him, man. He’s going to bring something different. Just his physical play style, his relentless effort to get to the quarterback, even on the edge, inside, teams have to account for him everywhere and it’s going to give us a really good changeup when he gets back.”

Signed to a two-year, $20 million contract in free agency, Autry, 34, is the most experienced defensive lineman on the roster. At 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, the North Carolina native and former Mississippi State player has size, strength and versatility working in his favor. He’s capable of bull-rushing blockers or using quickness and unorthodox moves to get to the quarterback.

“Autry, he is ready to go,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “He was doing a lot of work while people weren’t watching him. While he wasn’t here, he put in a lot of work in and that is the biggest thing.”

Texans defensive lineman Denico Autry suspended for six games for PED violation (click2houston.com)

Sources: Texans add defensive end Denico Autry on two-year, $20 million deal, Mike Ford for two-years $4.5 million (click2houston.com)

The timing of his return is ideal considering that the Texans lost starting defensive tackle Mario Edwards Jr. this week to a four-game NFL suspension for a violation of the league’s substance-abuse policy.

“It’s unfortunate that Mario isn’t here with us,” Ryans said. “Mario is playing really good ball for us and we just let the suspension play itself out. We will have guys step up in their role. We get Kurt Hinish back, added to the roster. We got Denico in, we will continue to roll our d-line as we have all year.”

Autry recorded a career-high 11 1/2 sacks last season for the Tennessee Titans with 17 quarterback hits. For his career, Autry has 59 sacks, 310 tackles, 80 for losses and 107 quarterback hits.

What sets Autry apart from the pack? Grit and versatility.

“I would say he’s tough,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “Toughness first and foremost. I would say he’s a very unique rusher. Just as a I don’t want to say hybrid but just as a big end and as an inside rusher. He’s had success at both spots, and he just offers some different pitches in terms of when he rushes inside, he rushes like an end inside, which is hard sometimes for guards. A lot of times offensive lineman in the interior, there is not a lot of space.

“It’s close-quarter combat when you’re rushing inside. Sometimes there is not a lot of rooms for moves and you have to be more direct. Somehow, he is able to create some space and rush. When you’re rushing on the edge, and you have sort of a little bit more area to get momentum and put a move on because you’re operating in a wider space. He kind of brings of that ability inside, which is kind of hard sometimes and pretty unique for him. So, he can rush on the edge, he can rush inside, and I think because he is kind of a sort of end/tackle, he kind of brings a little different style of rush to the front.”

Having Autry back further bolsters an already strong defense that includes Anderson, who leads the Texans with 5 1/2 sacks, and Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter. Edwards played well as the starter during Autry’s absence, recovering a fumble with eight tackles and one quarterback hit against the New England Patriots on Sunday in a 41-21 win at Gillette Stadium.

“With Denico coming off the suspension, he’ll fit right in very smoothly,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday. “He understands how we play, our style to play, Denico has been a productive pass rusher in his league for a long time, he had over 10 sacks last year. So, I’m expecting him to just pick up where he left off and come in being disruptive, playing the way he plays. He plays hard, he plays relentless, and he fits right in with our group.”

Autry has seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries and 31 passes defensed.

Autry issued a statement through his agent, Rodney Edwards, at the time of his suspension saying he mistakenly took a banned substance. He has legal counsel representing him in this matter.

Autry’s suspension began after the preseason.

“Over the course of my ten-year NFL career, I have never engaged in the use of performance enhancing drugs,” Autry said in a statement. “Over that period, I have been subject to countless tests, none of which have ever returned a positive result. I was, therefore, stunned this offseason when I learned that one of my tests returned a positive result. I immediately investigated the matter and discovered that a pharmacy to which my doctors submitted a prescription for a different medication, had, whether intentionally, recklessly, or negligently, included a banned substance. I want to be clear, at no time did I know or even suspect that this medication contained a banned substance. Upon discovering the source of the positive test, I immediately retained legal counsel in connection with this matter. My counsel provided the NFL with information, including documentation from my doctors, establishing that I neither asked for nor was prescribed any banned substances.

“It was important to me that the NFL know that I did not intentionally or even knowingly ingest a banned substance. I understand, however, that under the NFL’s policies, ultimate responsibility for what enters my body rests with me. To that end, while I intend to explore legal options pertaining to the circumstances that resulted in my positive test, I have accepted the NFL’s punishment of a six-game suspension. I want to apologize to the Texans organization, my teammates, and the fans for any distraction this may cause. Finally, I want to assure our fans that my commitment to competing to the best of my ability has only grown and I look forward to returning to the field.”

Autry hasn’t conducted interviews this week in the locker room, preferring to focus on the task at hand against the Packers. He plans to talk with reporters after the game is completed.

His teammates can’t wait to line up next to him.

“Definitely an immediate impact,” defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. “He’s been kind of slowly tuning into that throughout the week. It’s great to having him back. With his energy, he’s going to contribute to what we have going on. We’ve got high standards and we’ll stick to the standards.”

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