The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2025 Football Preview book. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps as well as defensive previews from Raymond Summerlin. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2025 Football Preview.
While offenses dominate NFL discussion, the other side of the ball plays a large role.
With the 2025 NFL season fast approaching, let's look at the defense of the Houston Texans and preview how it might perform this season.
2025 Houston Texans Defense
The Texans were mostly good against the run in 2024, finishing fourth in yards allowed per carry to running backs (3.9) and 11th in negative run rate against running backs.
Sheldon Rankins is back after a failed one-year stint with the Bengals, but he was productive with the Texans in 2023.
Tim Settle is the top returner along the defensive line, and Denico Autry continued his usage as a hybrid lineman/edge player in his first season in Houston.
The Texans finished fourth with 49 sacks in 2024, but their 33.2% pressure rate ranked 20th.
That pressure rate is not a terrible number, but it does point to some luck in that sack total.
Then again, Houston does have one of the best pass rushing pairs in the league.
Despite being limited to 14 games, Will Anderson logged 11 sacks in his second season, finishing 12th among qualified pass rushers in pressure rate (14.7%).
Danielle Hunter also did his part during his first season with the team, getting 12 sacks with a very good 13.9% pressure rate.
Behind that pair, Houston has Derek Barnett and Dylan Horton, who has an amazing story after returning from a cancer diagnosis to play 13 games last season.
The X factor could be Darrell Taylor, who was signed away from the Bears in free agency after setting a career high with a 14.2% pressure rate on limited snaps.
At linebacker, Azeez Al–Shaair was limited to 11 games in his first season with the Texans, in part because of a suspension for a bad hit, but he looked like a good addition when on the field.
Henry To’oTo’o was the other primary option a season ago.
E.J. Speed was added in free agency, and he will likely compete for snaps with Christian Harris.
The Texans were good overall against the pass in 2024, allowing 6.8 yards per attempt (5th) and recording 19 interceptions, the second-best mark in the league.
The one place they struggled was giving up touchdowns. Houston allowed 31 passing scores (30th) and a 5.6% touchdown rate (29th).
Derek Stingley played all 17 games for the first time in his career and earned his first All-Pro nod.
A 2024 second-round pick, Kamari Lassiter hit the ground running as a rookie, allowing just 5.8 yards per target and a 64 quarterback rating in his coverage across 14 games.
Houston struck gold with Jalen Pitre playing as the slot corner last season, and they added Jaylin Smith in the third round.
The Texans remade their secondary early in the 2024 draft, adding Calen Bullock in the third round after spending their second rounder on Lassiter.
Bullock was nearly an every-down player as a rookie, finishing third among qualified safeties in yards allowed per coverage snap.
He will be joined by veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who helped the Eagles to a Super Bowl last season.
This analysis continues in the 2025 Football Preview
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Warren Sharp’s 550+ page full-color PDF, the 2025 Football Preview, is unlike anything you have previously read. Stunning visualizations, including new heat maps, are built with the reader in mind. Innovative, next-level thought process abounds in every team chapter and article.
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Warren Sharp's book shares insights into the players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal: to prepare you for the 2025 NFL season with the smartest information delivered in the fastest, most direct way possible for optimal reviewing and retention.
- Team Chapters previews are in-depth, data driven & full of actionable info
- Fantasy Football player profiles, predictions, and ranks
- Vegas Odds forecast team wins, division rankings, lines for all 2025 games
- Coaching strategic advice for teams, play calling analysis & team tendencies
- Front Office Analysis positional spending, roster construction & cap analysis
- Reasons to bet over/under win totals & analysis of futures betting market
- Rookie draft class deep dive into impact for every team
- Rankings for every positional unit on every team with analysis
