For a large part of their fairly fractured 2025 campaign, the Houston Texans have identified issues but failed to conclusively solve them.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans has served enough time in the NFL to know that perseverance and preaching the same core values provide answers over time, but it’s been proving difficult.
Perhaps the unlikely 19-point comeback that backup quarterback Davis Mills orchestrated can now offer a vital watershed for the Texans, and to a certain extent, also provide some proof to Ryans that he wasn’t just losing his mind.
“As a coach, you want to teach things,” Ryans said. “You want to harp on a certain play style and what is it going to take to win a game.”
“When you see your players go out and do that in a manner that you’ve been asking them to do, it’s encouraging. It’s exciting as a coach. That’s why you coach, to be able to get guys to see and do things that they may not.”
Ironically enough, for as cathartic as the 36-29 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars actually was, they can only truly capitalize upon it by putting it quickly behind them and moving on.
The key for coach Ryans will be to use the prime cuts of the victory to construct his next dish, but boiling down all the leftover bones will also be deemed equally as important.
“It may not look great from the onset, but it’s that belief that I have in all these guys as their coach,” Ryans said. “I know they can do it. I know we got great players. I know we have a great team. I’m always urging and pleading with them just to, ‘Hey, let’s just do it the right way. Let’s execute the right way. Let’s finish the right way because I know we’re capable of doing it.”
“That’s what it looks like. When you just do the things you’re supposed to do, you make the plays. It’s fun film to watch. Hopefully, it’s a confidence booster for everyone. When you do it the right way, we can win a lot of games.”
It must have been getting pretty frustrating for Ryans to appear on a weekly basis– only to subsequently find himself saying the same old things about seeking far better levels of execution.
The thing is, Texans fans were beginning to feel their third-year head coach was turning into a one-trick pony who was only ever going to preach that his guys were in tune enough with the game plan to win.
Of course, Ryans has only just edged his talented squad barely back into the picture now that they’re at the 4-5 mark, but plenty of hard graft is still required. Thankfully, pushing on with some wind in their sails will be a lot easier if the stellar defensive unit keeps on proving that it has a compelling case to be the best unit the league has to offer.
Ryans has the double-headed monster of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. coming off the edge with furious intent, which sets them up nicely for the stretch run.
“I’m happy I never played quarterback because I’ll probably be taking a lot of sacks,” Ryans admitted. “The way Will plays, we know the effort, the intensity that he plays with. Danielle, he was exploding off the ball yesterday, playing violent, not slowing down. That only works with the interior guys getting the right push.”
“So, I thought our [defensive] tackles did a good job when we were able to push the pocket and they were able to collapse the edge. That’s how the rush works together. Will and Danielle, they’re definitely a scary force on the edge and two of the best edge rushers in the league. We’re blessed to have both of those guys as rushers on our team.”
Both Hunter and Anderson combined to register 4.5 sacks last Sunday on hapless Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence, but the general levels of chaos they caused suggest a whole lot more is yet to come.
To a large extent, you can forgive Ryans for beating his own drum a little about the fact that he always knew his stud guys would come good, and how, somehow, a big and emphatic win would finally come to light.
Even so, you have to turn the page extremely quickly in the brutal, cutthroat landscape of the NFL, and even when you think you’ve found the answer.
The Cleveland Browns are expected to have a new quarterback in 2026, and many expect it to be a rookie in the draft.
However, NFL insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic expects the Browns to pursue a veteran quarterback through a trade. The Browns insider believes the team will pursue a trade for one-time Pro Bowl quarterback Mac Jones.
“The 49ers will probably trade Jones in February or March. And the Browns will be linked to that potential deal for that many reasons. Mostly that Jones’ current contract calls for a 2026 base salary of just $1.4 million,” Jackson wrote. …
“The potential free agent (and trade) class is uninspiring, to say the least. I can’t see the Browns signing up to be Kyler Murray’s next team. So either the Browns chase the dream with Anthony Richardson, try again with Kenny Pickett (or Joe Flacco, or Winston), or run the wishbone with Trey Lance or Justin Fields. All of a sudden, Mac Jones seems like Josh Allen, doesn’t he?”
Jones was selected 15th overall by the New England Patriots in 2021 and was a Pro Bowler in his rookie season. However, he struggled in his next two years and was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars. After one season there, he signed with the 49ers this offseason and has been having a ton of success.
San Francisco could likely get a mid-round pick back for Jones, who has proven he can be a starting quarterback in the NFL again. For the Browns, Jones could also be a stopgap for a rookie to develop and learn the system for a year or two.
Cleveland has stuck with Gabriel at quarterback, despite his struggles this season.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has been adamant that Gabriel is the answer at quarterback and has been impressed with his play. But he knows the rookie, along with the entire team, has to be better.
“Well, I think with young quarterbacks, it’s understanding that there’s going to be ups and downs,” Stefanski said on Monday. “You know, can Dillon play better? Yes, he can. Can we play better around him? Yes, we can. Can we coach him better? Yes, we can. So, I understand the question. But I just trust that our young players at every position, and certainly at the quarterback position, are guys that are going to work their tails off to get better every single day.”
Gabriel is set to start his sixth straight game on Sunday when the Browns host the Baltimore Ravens.
Although Jones has had a big impact on the 49ers’ season, he is likely set to return to a backup role for the rest of the year.
Brock Purdy looks to be healthy and should return this week, which will push Jones to the backup role.
“They told me he is healthy. So I’ll see today with my own eyes when he practices. And I’m sure he’ll look that way,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “As long as he does, then he is good to go.”
With the 49ers giving Purdy a lucrative long-term extension, he is the clear future at quarterback, which is why Jones could be expendable.