Texans’ DeMeco Ryans Provides Massive Injury Update on Star Defender Will Anderson Jr. For Week 1

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday defensive end Will Anderson Jr. is “trending toward” playing in Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts, as relayed by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston.

Anderson had been sidelined for most of August with an ankle injury. Ryans noted that Anderson was running last week, and appears to be track to be ready to go for Week 1.

Anderson is coming off a rookie season in which he finished as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year after recording 45 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, seven sacks, and one pass deflection. He additionally blocked a field goal.

The 6-foot-4 defender was part of an upstart Texans team that turned from a 3-13-1 team to a 10-7 AFC South division winner. The Texans were considered the worst team in the NFL by many in 2022 and prior to the 2023 season.

Along with rookie head coach Ryans and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, who went on to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, the Texans advanced to the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffs. Though they lost to the Baltimore Ravens, the Texans advanced much further than anyone would have predicted.

Anderson also played a critical role in an improved Texans’ defense a season ago. The Texans moved up from third-last in total yards allowed per game in 2022 to 14th in the NFL, and from sixth-last in points allowed per game to 11th.

The most significant improvement came in the run defense. The Texans ranked dead-last in run defense in 2022, giving up an average of 170.2 yards per game. Not only did they move up, the Texans finished the 2023 NFL season with the sixth-best run defense in yards allowed per game. They gave up fewer than 100 rushing yards per game on average, allowing just 96.6 yards each week.

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Anderson’s efforts contributed significantly. He was regularly in the backfield, quickly plugging rushers for tackles and tackles for loss. The Texans were certainly not perfect, giving up 100 yards to Lamar Jackson and 188 yards to Jonathan Taylor late in the season, but they improved significantly overall.

The Texans were of course high on Anderson coming out of Alabama. After drafting Stroud with the No. 2 overall pick in 2023, they traded up to draft Anderson No. 3 overall. The moved was questioned as it required the Texans to give up draft picks, but Anderson has proven the risk was worth it.