Texans’ Will Anderson leans on Danielle Hunter in second year

HOUSTON – Since Danielle Hunter signed her two-year, $49 million contract to join the Houston Texans this offseason, the defensive end has taken on a mentoring role to second-year pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. .

Both men intend to “wreak havoc” on opposing offenses. Anderson is coming off his freshman season when he won Defensive Rookie of the Year, and he’s now leaning on the nine-year veteran to take his game to the next level.

“I’m really impressed with Will,” Hunter said. “It’s like he’s in 4th, 5th or 6th grade – how he plays and how he carries himself. He still holds himself accountable. He still goes out and practices with the same attitude every day, trying to lead a group from the front. You don’t see that in the first year players.

The two constantly talk about the nuances of the position as they have navigated OTAs and mandatory minicamps together. Hunter focused on Anderson’s fundamentals. According to Anderson, the former Minnesota Viking helped him refine two pass rushes in the “long arm” and “swipe” techniques.

They also spent time working on hand placement. The goal is to get the offensive tackles’ hands out of the way more quickly when they come off the line of scrimmage, which can be painful.

“We did a lot of hand work, a lot of hand sparring. We were actually doing this exercise and he grabbed my wrist, and I thought he almost broke my wrist because he’s so loud,” Anderson said with a laugh. “But he just taught me the ropes of keeping my hands active in my running.

“He has so much wisdom and knowledge that he passes it on to every guy in the room.”

Hunter and Anderson’s plan is to strengthen coach DeMeco Ryans’ defense heading into year two. Ryans’ plan is built around pressuring the quarterbacks using just four defenders.

“With Danielle and Will, I think they instantly have that connection that you need on both ends,” Ryans said. “(They are) playing against each other, ripping each other’s brains out. Danielle is a veteran of the league. He’s been doing it for a while, so Will can lean on him for advice on how he’s seen him do it. I think it’s very important. I like the connection they had, they work well together, and it’s great to see them both collapse in the pocket and finish on the quarterback.”

The Texans had 46 sacks (tied for 13th) last season, which set a franchise single-season record. The Texans’ defense also allowed the 11th fewest points per game (21.1) and helped the team win the AFC South for the first time since 2019.

But there is room for improvement, as a playoff loss to the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round showed. The Ravens’ 34 points were the third most allowed by Houston last season, and their 229 rushing yards were the most points allowed by Houston all season.

The Texans, however, sacked quarterback Lamar Jackson three times in this game, with Anderson getting one. He finished his rookie season with seven sacks. Defensive end Jonathan Greenard led the team with 12.5 sacks, the Texans let him enter free agency and replaced him with one of the league’s most prolific passers, Hunter, who had just achieving a career-high 16.5 sacks.

“(The Ryan one) “The most important thing is meeting with the quarterback because that’s his vision of both of us coming off the edge, burning the edge and meeting the quarterback,” Anderson said. “As Danielle and I develop our relationship, this is the view we see of each other.”

The Texans made other changes inside their defensive line. They lost defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, who signed in free agency from the Cincinnati Bengals, and they traded defensive tackle Maliek Collins to the San Francisco 49ers. They signed defensive end Denico Autry, who had 11.5 sacks last season for the Tennessee Titans, to a two-year, $20 million contract to help offset losses.

Changing a record-breaking front four might be a gamble, but the team viewed Hunter — one of the biggest names to hit the free agent market — as a clear upgrade. His resume speaks for itself as the two-time All-Pro has the seventh-most sacks (87.5) since 2015.

And at 29, Hunter’s tutelage of the 22-year-old Anderson could be vital in getting the Texans where they want to go.

“His desire to be great, he’s always trying to get better,” Hunter said. “He tries to learn everything he can learn from me. … You don’t see that a lot.”