Q&A with new linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair

Much of DeMeco Ryan’s plans to revamp the Texans’ defense this offseason began with the signing of a versatile, ever-present middle linebacker.

That piece was missing from last year’s team, which finished 11th in the NFL in points allowed per game, but wasn’t good enough to thwart Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ offense in the divisional round of the playoffs last January.

Ryans got that missing piece when the Texans signed linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair to a three-year, $34 million contract in March.

The Texans not only acquired a promising talent, but they also acquired a player who knows Ryans and his scheme, having played under him in San Francisco for the first four years of his career.

Al-Shaair, 26, had 163 tackles in his lone season at Tennessee in 2023. It was his best year statistically.

But he believes he and the Texans can do more this year. Al-Shaair, whose history of homelessness in high school is well-documented, is partnering with Campbell’s Chunky Soup to raise awareness about food insecurity and promote their new soup flavor. He spoke to the Chronicle about that, his efforts in the Houston community, why he loves this Texans defense and why it’s so important to hold your teammates accountable.

Note: The questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness.

Q: I know you work with Campbell’s Chunky Soup. What is behind your partnership?

A: When I started working with them, it was community oriented. So it was through food insecurity, helping people in the community. It felt like a perfect partnership. And obviously, I’m here today, just talking about the new soup that they have and one of the new flavors. It’s Nashville-style hot chicken, which is whatever Nashville is. The flavor is really really spicy, really intense and really good too.

Q: Your homelessness story is well documented, but for those who don’t know, can you share a little bit about your story and how it influences what you do outside of football?

A: I grew up with seven brothers and sisters. My mom and dad stayed together until I was about 10, then my dad left.

I have a lot of respect for my mother, I am very grateful to her, because it is a difficult task for a single mother of one child, and even more so for eight children. We moved from place to place, living in motels, sleeping on the floors of people’s houses, sleeping in storage rooms. When you talk about me where I am now, after all the things I’ve overcome, I think sometimes when I talk about it, I can relate to so many different struggles, because I’ve been through so many struggles different. From high school to college, to raising my two little brothers – I was their legal guardian in college. So I take them to school in the morning, I go to gym in the morning, I go to class, I pick them up from school and I cook for them, I sneak them into the cafeteria so ‘they can eat.

I had to go through all of these things to get to where I am today. I’m very broad in the areas that I help in because I’ve been through so many different things.

I like to do a lot to help young people, single mothers. That’s kind of where my focus lies, but the way we can help people is broad.

Q: Are you planning on doing a lot of things while you’re in Houston?

A: Yeah, 100%. And for me, I’ve already started doing things. Being someone who’s been in their shoes, I’m very low-key in how I do it. I’ve kind of gone out on my own and reached out to the community relations team and tried to ask different schools, different areas that need more help and try to go straight to it. Because one of the biggest things that I struggled with when I first got to the NFL, there’s always going to be a camera out there. So when I was growing up, whenever somebody did something for me, the last thing I wanted was my face all over TV. Like, “Hey, this guy’s struggling and we’re helping him.” So I do a lot of things that don’t require people to see what I’m doing. But at the same time, I learned the power of being able to show people what’s going on, so more people who have that mindset of wanting to help but don’t know how, it can point them in the right direction to an organization that’s doing great work.

I plan on doing the exact same thing while I’m in Houston.

Q: You’ve talked before about betting on yourself after leaving San Francisco and turning down Houston for Tennessee during the 2022 free agency period. After having the season you had last year , what did you feel like you proved to people?

A: I think for me, playing for DeMeco and Coach (Robert) Saleh in San Francisco for four years, the way the linebackers played was very specific, the technique was different. I think it fit guys like me, Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw, a lot of those guys that are fast, physical and can cover, run, hit. So, transitioning and trying to do my own thing (at Tennessee), I think the pattern wasn’t what I was used to, but in that short period of time I was able to take it all back and playing my game while still being able to show what I do best, which is running, hitting and being able to cover.

I think my mindset was: Even though I was part of a group of great guys, I’m also great in my own right. And I think from a business standpoint, I think if I was a general manager or owner, I wouldn’t want to pay a third linebacker either. It’s logical and I respect it from that point of view. I understand, but for me, I just knew I was different. I wasn’t the typical third linebacker. At the time, I felt like I had a lot to prove, but I still didn’t feel like I could leave the mark I wanted to have, even on this season. I think that’s where my motivation is today. The money is good, it’s a huge blessing, but I think I can accomplish so much more.

Now that I’m back in a system that I already know like the back of my hand and have the same command of the defense, I’m a lot more excited because I think the sky is the limit for me.

Q: I heard an incredible story from Will Anderson Jr. a few weeks ago. He said he got depressed because he was out of the game, and you said, “Stop fucking sulking,” and it took him by surprise. But he developed a respect for you. Why was that important for you to get across, and what does it say about who you are as a leader?

Question : It’s just natural for me. But I think part of it, from the day it happened, it was maybe the same day I went to practice, he and I were talking. I’m still realizing that I’m here and he and I were talking last year after one of the games. It was just funny because we were just telling each other, like, ‘Hey man, I like the way you play, I like your mentality and vice versa, let’s push each other to be even better than we are.’

It’s funny that at the time when it happened, I didn’t even think about it, but I’m a big believer in the “next play mentality.” Don’t get down. There’s going to be enough coaches coming to the sideline to yell at you if you jump offside. So we’re not going to do that to ourselves and I’m not going to let you do that to yourself. I think when he was doing that, I was just trying to mess with him. It was really me daring him to give up on the play.

It was funny because he told that part of the story. But the very next play, I tell him that to his face, he’s like, “I’m not sulking, I’m not sulking.” I’m like, “Okay, go make a play,” (and) the very next play, he makes a play in the backfield. We celebrate and it’s like that’s what I’m talking about. I don’t care what happened the previous play. You can’t control that. But the next play is going to matter. So it was a cool moment, because we had that conversation. A lot of people talk about holding people accountable, but they never really do it. Some of my best teammates have been teammates who have pushed me to be the best that I can be.

I just always try to keep the same mentality.

Q: You’ve played under DeMeco Ryans before, you’ve seen that defense, what do you like about that defense and its potential, seeing the pieces that you have and knowing who’s coaching you?

A: When you look at the defense, the scheme itself puts a lot of pressure on you, which means there’s a lot of opportunity to make plays. If you’re a true competitor and you really love playing football and you love being a linebacker, that’s what you want. Being a linebacker in that scheme, it’s a heavy crown to bear. But if you do it right, you can make a lot of plays. You put that in the background and you pair that with a defensive line that’s attacking, it’s like they’re wreaking havoc and the timing’s off with the quarterback. You’re not giving somebody the opportunity to sit back and do whatever they want. We’re dictating, that’s what you’re going to get.

Over the years, being in this system, that’s what you realize. Everybody’s going to eat because it’s going to disrupt the timing from a quarterback standpoint.