Texans Camp Notebook: How's DeMeco Ryans Spending His Birthday?

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans spends his 39th birthday watching the ongoing growth and development of his defense during Day 3 of training camp practice.

HOUSTON — Coach DeMeco Ryans isn't foreign to working on his birthday. After the Houston Texans made Ryans a second-round pick in 2006, the former Alabama linebacker has spent his past 16 birthdays gearing up for the upcoming season ... whether it be as a player or as a coach. 

On Friday, Ryans spent a portion of his 39th birthday on the practice field at the Houston Methodist Training Center. And for the first time in his career, he spent his birthday as coach of the Texans.

"It's a blessing to see another year," Ryans said. "To be able to do what I love and do what I enjoy doing, I am just grateful for another year. I appreciate the love."

Ryans said that work has always made celebrating his birthday a difficult juggling act. But following Day 3 of training camp, players would not allow Ryans to leave the field until they sang "Happy Birthday'' before breaking out of a huddle.

The first-year coach's birthday wish? Gift of consistent growth and development is what the Texans granted Ryans on his special day.

"Day 3 was another good day," Ryans said. "We have talked about progressively getting better every day, and that is what they are doing. I am encouraged by where we are as of today."

Will Anderson Jr. creates disruption on the defensive front: Will Anderson Jr. has been relatively quiet through the first two days of practice. During the third day of camp, however, the No. 3 pick of the 2023 NFL draft made his presence felt. Anderson made back-to-back stops during 11-on-11 while receiving reps with the first team.

A miscommunication with the offensive line led to Anderson being unblocked while coming off the line of scrimmage. Not being picked up by a lineman led to Anderson finishing the play with his first sack of camp on quarterback Davis Mills.

On the next play, tight end Dalton Schultz picked up Anderson to stop another rush from the right side. But the rookie prospect from Alabama was able to get by Schultz to prevent running back Dameon Pierce from rushing up the middle.

Ryans said watching Anderson's growth since the start of rookie mini camp in May has been "encouraging to see."

"He plays with an intensity that I love," Ryans said. "He never takes a play off, and he hates when we try to give him a rep off. He will get mad at the coaches. It is the mindset we knew Will had when we drafted him, and we are excited about where he is right now."

Another great day for the defense: Anderson's disruptive plays were one of many highlights for the defense. They ended practice without a takeaway. However, the lack of forced turnovers did not mean Houston's defense had simmered down from the previous day.

The front seven did a great job creating pressure and stopping the run, while the secondary recorded several pass deflections.

Cornerback D'Angelo Ross had one of the top pass breakups during 11-on-11. Ross' deflection broke up a pass attempt between quarterback Case Keenum and wideout Jared Wayne.

"In most training camps I've been a part of, the defense starts ahead of the offense," Ryans said. "It typically takes the offense a little bit longer to get going. But, it doesn't take long for them to catch up."

QUICK HITS

- The Texans will not hold training camp practice on Saturday. They will return to the field Sunday morning, which will mark the first day of padded practice. 

- The Texans had a few players who were held out of camp Friday morning. Wide receiver John Metchie III and safety Jimmy Ward were in attendance but did not participate in any on-field activities.

- The quarterback competition? Mills did not close the gap between himself and C.J. Stroud, while the rookie quarterback from Ohio State did not create additional separation. Both quarterbacks were subpar at best. They struggled to connect with their receivers on deep ball pass attempts. With both players having a subpar day, Stroud likely is still one step ahead of Mills.

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