DeMeco Ryans: Texans LB Christian Harris Has 'God-Given Ability'

As the Houston Texans enter year one under DeMeco Ryans, Christian Harris is a player to watch on defense.

Plenty has been written this offseason about just how bad the Houston Texans were on defense in 2022. Despite their poor showing, though, they did have bright spots on that side of the ball, including linebacker Christian Harris. 

Harris, a second-year player out of Alabama, showed flashes in his rookie season that he can be a key member of the defense moving forward. Now as he enters his second season, he talked on the Texans' Deep Slant Podcast about staying in Houston during the offseason. 

"I'm trying to win," Harris said. "I'm staying here. That's what I've been doing. I'm just trying to get this turned around."

Appearing in just 12 games as a rookie, 11 of which were starts, Harris recorded respectable numbers. The rookie finished with 74 tackles, including six tackles for loss and a sack. He also recorded a pair of turnovers, forcing a fumble and snagging an interception. 

While those numbers might not jump off the page at you, they show the potential that Harris has - especially in Ryans' defense, with his new coach raving about what he's seen from him so far this offseason.

"What excites me about Christian is just his God-given ability," Ryans said. "Not many linebackers that are fast or explosive as Christian Harris is. What he's capable of becoming in this league, he's capable of becoming a really, really great linebacker. He just has to continue to improve."

"I'm excited to see where he is when we start training camp."

The Texans enter this season looking to take the first step out of their rebuild, knowing defensive improvement is paramount to do doing so. If Harris can build on a promising rookie season and strong offseason, then they will be one step closer to doing so in Ryans' first year. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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