With a new head coach in DeMeco Ryans and a slew of additions to the roster, the Texans are a team that hopes it is turning a page in 2023.
The bid for that turnaround isn’t totally based on new faces, however. Improvement from holdover players is also part of the recipe and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is on the top of that list. The Texans took Stingley with the third overall pick and he was limited to nine appearances because of injury, which was made even more painful because cornerback Sauce Gardner, who went to the Jets one pick later, made the All-Pro team and won defensive rookie of the year.
Do-overs aren’t available, so the Texans will be banking on Stingley having better health along with stronger play during his second season. Stingley believes he’s on the right path on the latter front.
“Oh, I feel like I’ve improved and I’m seeing the whole field at a faster rate,” Stingley said, via Aaron Wilson of KPRC. “I could kind of see it last year and in the years before that, but Year One to Year Two, you can see the pace a little bit more. Nothing’s really unexpected. Nothing really catches you off-guard anymore. I mean, it’s nice.”
There are plenty of other young Texans who could take big strides this year, but Stingley making good on his potential would be a particularly significant stepping stone to better Texans days.