Texans BREAKING: Will Anderson Jr. Signs Rookie Contract; ‘Impact’ Now?

Will Anderson Jr. is poised to have a breakout rookie season, helping revamp a bad Texans defense. … and the process continues with his signing.

The Houston Texans on Friday signed No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. to his fully guaranteed four-year, $35,212,818 million deal with a fifth-year option … a major step in fixing what’s been broken in Houston.

Anderson, who gets a $22.6 signing bonus, figures to lift a Texans defense … and “now” would be nice. They had the 27th-ranked scoring defense, allowing opponents to score 24.7 points per game on 379.5 yards of total offense. 

The #Texans signed No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson Jr. to a fully guaranteed four-year, $35,212,818 million deal with a fifth-year option, per source.

Anderson gets a $22,609,320 signing bonus as part of the deal, which was negotiated by Nicole Lynn of @KlutchSports. pic.twitter.com/T0nJzRj1yl

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) June 23, 2023

After struggling mightily on defense in 2022, the Texans made sure to address the issue this offseason. Notably, they traded a haul to move up from No. 12 to No. 3 with the Arizona Cardinals to select Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. 

Anderson will undoubtedly start right away for the Texans as a rookie, and was named one of the five most impact defensive additions this offseason according to Bleacher Report. 

One look at Anderson's stats during his time at Alabama and it is hard not to be excited about what he can bring to the Texans' defense. His final season saw him record 51 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks.

However, that was a "down" year for the Crimson Tide product compared to the season before. He wreaked havoc in 2021, racking up 101 tackles - with a staggering 31 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks - production he hopes to bring to Houston.  Can he become a star? A Pro Bowler? “Elite”? The process continues ….

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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