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| Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans |
Since 2019, the Houston Texans have started training camp at the Methodist Training Center under turmoil or adversity. From the head coaching carousel that produced one season’s worth of production from both David Culley and Lovie Smith, the legal issues and the refusal to play for the organization by former quarterback Deshaun Watson, to the uncertainty of a rookie head coach who was called upon to save the franchise using two rookies taken back-to-back in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Undoubtedly, the Texans faced a challenging period, with the media and Houston fans, particularly on social media, expressing their daily disappointment with the team’s performance.
Fast forward to 2024, and all the past transgressions are a blur. By now, every NFL fan is familiar with the turnaround the Texans made last season by winning the AFC South, advancing to the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs, and producing the NFL Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year in quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
Expectations are high with the offseason acquisitions of wide receiver Stefon Diggs, running back Joe Mixon, and defensive end Danielle Hunter. Some NFL analysts predict the Texans will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl right down the road in New Orleans, Louisiana.
But before anyone starts planning to party in the French Quarter, general manager Nick Caserio and head coach DeMeco Ryans want the team to remain focused on the task.
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| Houston Texans GM Nick Caserio |
“Our expectations are for the players is to come in, have a good attitude, put a good foundation in place, be a great teammate, be resilient, because we’re going to face some things as a team,” said Caserio as he addressed the media before the start of training camp. “We’re going to face some things individually and put the best version of yourself in the field each day. The results will take care of themselves. What’s said outside of the building has no impact on anything that we do. Talking never won games. Expectations never won games. Good football and good execution wins football games.”
Coach Ryans echoed the sentiments of his general manager during his press conference after practice.
“As we open up our 2024 camp, for this season everything starts new for us,” said Ryans. “It’s about building a solid foundation. If you want to do anything great it starts with the foundation. That starts with guys, their mindset of showing up on purpose, showing up with the right attitude, being a great teammate, guys being resilient no matter what we face.”
Houston was the first team in the NFL to begin training camp this season due to their first preseason game against the Chicago Bears being played before the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions in which former Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson will be the first player from the organization to be inducted.