TeX’s and O’s: Houston assembling the NFL’s most explosive D-Line

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans had openly telegraphed what was coming.

“The front — again — is everything for me, and we’ll invest a ton of resources into the front.” Ryans said after his defense underperformed in a 34-10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens “If you want to play good defense, your front has to be elite, and that’s what I envision us playing: elite defensive football.”

If elite defensive football was the goal, the Texans certainly set out to complete that vision at the start of the 2024 NFL free agency this week.

The Texans signed Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Denico Autry to a two-year, $20 million deal on Monday afternoon alongside his Titans teammate, linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who got a three-year, $34 million contract. The next day, general manager Nick Caserio landed one of the best edge rushers on the market when Houston signed Danielle Hunter to a two-year, $49 million contract.

That’s three huge investments to the front seven, each with more than eight figures in annual value. It’s the type of financial commitment that shows Houston is more than serious about the vision that their head coach, and former star linebacker, dreams of conquering the AFC South with.

Now, the pieces just have to manifest together.

Ryans’ newly minted front seven has a chance to be immediately dominant and the way they’ll attack is perfectly in the image of their head coach. His system allows defensive linemen to be aggressive and impose their will in the 4-3 defense and, now, this new group of rushers will form one of the scariest lines in football alongside NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year defensive end Will Anderson Jr.

Hunter was one of the premier defensive ends in football in 2023 with 16.5 sacks and a league-leading 23 tackles for loss. Autry boasted a career high 11.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss while lining up all across the line for Tennessee.

Line players receive paydays for their ability to get to the quarterback and these signings are hardly different. Their gaudy numbers attacking the passer were supported by Pro Football Focus rankings with Hunter coming in at 79.1 and Autry graded at 66.0.

Danielle Hunter just bullying the right tackle en route to a sack on quarterback Baker Mayfield.

He’ll be the Texans’ most intimidating chess piece on clear passing downs and that’s *before* defenses have to worry about Will Anderson Jr. and Denico Autry.

Be afraid. pic.twitter.com/iQgxtLavib

— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) March 13, 2024

Plugging them into Houston’s defense is a salivating prospect. Hunter is immediately the premier edge rusher on the Texans’ line, despite the presence of Anderson, and will demand enormous attention in protection schemes. He can win with finesse and power and will be a challenging assignment for any tackle in the league.

Autry is capable of lining up at the 1 or 3-technique defensive tackle spots or coming outside as a 4i or 5-tech defensive tackle. This allows Ryans to mix the fronts and to challenge defenses on how they want to set protections. He notably has the speed to punish poor or undersized athletes on the interior of the offensive line. Accounting for Autry as he moves from inside to outside and on different sides of the line means that potentially any linemen needs to be prepared for him on any given series.

Denico Autry lines up as the 3-technique defensive tackle and goes to work on a stunt with Jeffrey Simmons for a sack.

He’ll see plenty of rushing snaps with the Houston Texans where the O-Line has too many pieces to track.

Penetration skills that this defensive line covets. pic.twitter.com/Qa8wFiYsxh

— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) March 13, 2024

That’s before Houston can even get creative.

These two players represent phenomenal athletes and this can come into play on “stunts.” These plays require defensive linemen to essentially switch spots after the play or attempt to crash into offensive linemen, where another player can then come in behind to the space they just vacated. Hunter and Autry more than fit the bill.

If defenses want to focus on Autry or recently signed defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi on the interior, they’ll have to be prepared for either Anderson or Hunter to potentially come crashing in just a moment later. Autry in particular can be devastating on stunts whether he’s the decoy player occupying space or the one assigned to come around and take the gap towards the quarterback.

Danielle Hunter on a stunt? Danielle Hunter on a stunt.

Phenomenal athleticism and HC DeMeco Ryans is going to have a ton of ways to use him attacking the quarterback.

Protection schemes will be a nightmare trying to account for how much speed the Texans defensive line boasts. pic.twitter.com/plQ8xFRAn8

— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) March 13, 2024

The trio of Anderson, Hunter and Autry poses speed and alignments problems for offensive line that will be nauseating for opposing offensive coordinators. If a team is structurally weak in any of their protection sets, they’ll have plenty of talent to find it.

It’s the exact brand of football that Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke want to see from their front four and they’ll enable those players to be the best versions of themselves. That’s all before mentioning the run game.

Danielle Hunter sheds the block for a huge play in the backfield on Jahymr Gibbs. Not a fair assignment for the poor tight end.

He’s going to be an incredible addition to the SWARM across from Will Anderson. Absolutely has to be accounted for wherever he’s lined up. pic.twitter.com/WePsqlg4LX

— John Crumpler (@JohnHCrumpler) March 13, 2024

As evidenced by their high tackle for loss volume, Hunter and Autry have no problem in this category. Their high motor, high athleticism traits that manifest in the pass rush show up with highlight plays against the run as well. Both players are capable of setting the edge and are a nightmare waiting should any offense try to block them with a tight end.

Even when not making plays, they’ll help pave the way for Houston’s new linebacker duo to make a bigger impact. While blocking schemes focus on ways to impede the Texans’ lethal trio, linebackers Christian Harris and the newly signed Al-Shaair should have clear run lanes to clean up. The fast, instinctive play of the duo should compliment well everything that Caserio and Ryans have assembled on the Front 4.

Teams are often a reflection of the coaching personalities that assemble them and this is no different. The Texans will dictate games with their defense and be able to win with an imposing and aggressive front, the kind that Ryans was once featured on himself when he wore the Battle Red.

How that translates to winning and competing in a loaded AFC will have to wait. In the meantime, Houston can look forward to seeing a team that is far closer to the final vision than the one that debuted a year ago.