Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans brushes off rising expectations: 'We're always hunting' 

The Houston Texans transitioned from being a novelty team last offseason due to their bold moves in the draft, to unexpectedly becoming division winners in DeMeco Ryans’ first season. In 2024, expectations have skyrocketed, with suggestions that they could contend for the AFC crown.

Ryans dismissed the idea that expectations alter the approach of coaches or players even slightly, at the beginning of Houston’s offseason program on Monday.

“He stated, as per the team’s official transcript, that external expectations do not influence their internal workings. For them, it’s all about everyone putting in effort and striving to improve. They are not concerned about expectations. They believe that talk doesn’t win matches, rather it’s about playing good football when the time comes,” he said.

The recent trade for star receiver Stefon Diggs vaulted the Texans’ title odds, making the C.J. Stroud-led group one of the top five teams expected to compete for the conference title. The Diggs addition provides pedigree to the offense, and even if he’s fallen off a little, he is a proven playmaker who should be a dangerous weapon in Bobby Slowik’s operation.

“When asked about Diggs’ declining performance towards the end of last season, Ryans responded that they have considered his whole career, his achievements, and his productivity. Ryans pointed out that Diggs has been an All-Pro player, a Pro Bowl player, and has exceeded 1,000 yards in multiple seasons. He expressed his excitement about having Diggs on their team.

It wasn’t just the Diggs trade that created headlines in Houston. The Texans inked Danielle Hunter to a big-money deal, signed linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, re-signed tight end Dalton Schultz and traded for running back Joe Mixon.

The moves, in totality, bring star power to a Houston club that found a star at quarterback and a promising edge rusher, Will Anderson Jr., in last year’s draft. On paper, the Texans should be a dangerous and entertaining team in 2024.

Ryans doesn’t care about any of those words.

“He said, “We are always in hunt mode. Regardless of external expectations, whatever they might entail, our core identity remains unchanged. We’re constantly hunting.”