DEMECO RYANS: Good to have everybody out. Really excited for the start of molding our team, see what our 2025 Houston Texans will look like. Really good work today. Shorter day. Not much action, but what really impressed me today was just our signal callers. The operation from our quarterback, our middle linebacker, our personal protector on the punt team.
Just really impressed for the first day. A lot of times you come out and they are reloads you have to do. You have to do things over. But today was a really clean operation, and that's a really great start to how we been.
So I'm pleased with where we started today and looking forward to continuing to stack days and continuing to build upon each and every guy we have here.
Q. Third year with CJ Stroud, what have you seen from him on the field and off the field?
DEMECO RYANS: From CJ I've seen continued growth. He's now learning a new scheme, new offense, and he's putting in the work, being diligent about working to be on it when it comes to the communication.
We put a lot more things on his plate. He's done a great job with that and we'll see him continue to progress. Really excited for him to really learn something new and really continue to lead our team.
Q. Having more on his plate, do you think that gives him more ownership over the offense as a leader?
DEMECO RYANS: For sure. From that quarterback perspective you want that ownership. You want it to be on your plate so to speak. CJ, he's looking forward to it. He's open to it. He wanted it.
We're here, and so I think he's done a really fantastic job so far. Caley has done a really great job working with him. They're getting on the same page, making sure the terminology, everything makes sense so we can get in and out of the huddle fast and play fast and operate clean.
We been doing that.
Q. Can you speak on some of the other offense pieces that you added?
DEMECO RYANS: Every year you're looking to add more and more to your team. I'm excited about the receivers that we've added it. The young guys. Noel, Higgins, also with Kurt, Watson, all the guys we've added at those spots will definitely enhance our offense, giving us more options for where the football can go, and that will help our quarterback a lot.
Q. (Regarding Jimmy Ward's situation.)
DEMECO RYANS: Yeah, with Jimmy, yeah, it's unfortunate any time something like that happens and comes out in the news and that happens to one of your players. Jimmy is a guy that I've known the longest. Since I first started in the NFL I've worked with Jimmy. I know the type of guy he is, and we'll just let the legal situation play itself out.
Q. Could you say a few words about Brian Braman?
DEMECO RYANS: Yeah, very surprising unfortunate loss of my former teammate, Brian Braman. I was teammates with Braman in two places, here in Houston and Philly. Had the opportunity to work alongside Braman.
It's just tough. You know, it's like last year I remember being here and speaking about Jacoby and now again with Braman. It's unfortunate to lose guys at such a young age. Just our thoughts are with his -- he leaves behind two kids, so thoughts are with those kids and his family. It's tough. 38 years old, that's a tough one to swallow, especially a guy who's been in the locker room with me and I know him. Guy who was full of energy and played the game with an undeniable passion and edge.
He made a name for himself coming out of a small school, West Texas A&M, guy who by other peoples means shouldn't have made it but he made it because was a hard worker and he was dedicated to his craft and he was a special teams aces for us.
I just continue to pray for that family.
Q. Albeit day one, no pads, offensive line you wanted to make over, what small things are you seeing day one that says they're doing what you want? Is there one guy kind of taking the charge?
DEMECO RYANS: For the O-line, it's always tough. It's hard for me to -- you continue to evaluate O-linemen. It's hard when you don't have pads on because that's how the game is played up front. You got to have the pads on to have a true evaluation.
The small things that stuck out to me and what Cole has done a really good job of is just those small intricate details that you know will translate pads or not. That's hand placement, your feet being right, where are your shoulders, your eyes, the communication. All of those little things that really allow those guys to bind together as one.
I think that's where you'll see the growth in our offensive line, those guys being on the same page and being intentional with how they're working in individual. It's very deliberate. I see that translate.
And that's what I expect from all of our coaches, to be deliberate in how you prepare the guys individually. That's what I've seen throughout the spring with Cole, with Zach, and that will translate. It's showing up here. They done a great job communicating today, and that will keep allowing those guys to be the best version of themselves and do a great job of run blocking first and foremost as a unit and then also protecting CJ.
Q. (No microphone.)
DEMECO RYANS: That's the thing. The transition and the ease of how we went into things. Today it was really cool to see. I'm used to first days being just a debacle. The ball is on the ground. Snap count is off. Defense busting assignments. To have a really clean operation, very pleased with that, because the guys been away for a while. They haven't done football.
So to come out and get the football part right, alignment, assignment, being where you're supposed to be, that's half the battle. I am very pleased with the coaches first and foremost for having their guys ready to go.
Q. You got a chance to see Nick Caley's offense. Now it's translating over to the field. What are some of the things about that offense that excites you?
DEMECO RYANS: What excites me most about Caley's offense is it's evolving and it's being tailored toward the Houston Texans and the guys we have on our roster.
What excites me the most is it's not just copy and paste from other places that he's been. And he's been very successful at other places. He's been very thorough with the installation process of where do we want to put our guys, what position, what's the best spot for our guys to be in.
So you look at it through that lens, it's going to be about the Houston Texans, and that's what I love most about the offense. Him being able to be adaptable and put our guys where they need to be.
Q. Nick Chubb, think he has a chip on his shoulder this season after the injuries?
DEMECO RYANS: Nick Chubb, happy to have him with us. Any time a guy gets another opportunity another place you're going to have a chip on your shoulder. I think Nick has done it in the league for a long time. Happy to have him. Excited to see him just continue to gel with our guys. We got him late in OTAs. It's just a matter of him continuing to gel with the guys in the locker room and do what he does: Run the football, play football the way he plays football. It's impressive to watch.
Q. Unlike your offense, the defense has been here for the past two years. How much does that help you guys starting training camp knowing that the majority of the defense knows and understands what you're looking for?
DEMECO RYANS: To me, every year I start over. So the previous two years, whatever that looks like, it doesn't matter to me because every year we have to reinvent ourselves. We have to create and mold and grow to see what the 2025 Texans will look like.
Just because the defense has been successful in the past, done a good job, that doesn't guarantee success today. You got to go work at it. You got to grind at it. You got o put the work in. That's what it's about. We'll see what those guys become.
Q. Talk a little bit about honoring your hometown? (Indiscernible.)
DEMECO RYANS: For me, Summer, being able to have the honor of getting a street named after me, a street I grew up on, I would say that's the biggest honor I could receive.
It's one of the coolest honors to now be back there on my home street and see the sign with my name on it. I'm just thankful to my parents, mom and dad, for their hard work and sacrifice. I know what it took for them to be able to purchase a house way back when.
I'm thankful for them, the work, what they've shown me. My parents taught me all about hard work, and that's what I believe in now as a coach. It doesn't change. My dad worked as an aircraft mechanic. He's a Vietnam vet. My mom worked cleaning, in the cleaning business for a while. So just tough labor, tough work, and that's what I learned from my mom and dad.
For me, that honor is more about them and who they raised and me just emulating them and what they've shown me.
Q. (No microphone.) (Regarding offensive line's success.)
DEMECO RYANS: When it comes to the offensive line's success, the offense's success, it'll never change. It's about all 11 guys working together. I know there is a ton of questions about the O-line. We'll continue to grow. Our guys will be where they need to be. They'll do their job, handle it the right way.
We'll see how everything shapes out, but it starts with just the mindset and the intent. Our coaches have done a great job of putting the work in. Our players are doing a great job putting the work in.
Now it's just a matter of when we snap the ball, right, on game day, whenever that is, just got to go do it. It's not going to be about the talking. It's just going o be about us showing you. I know I'm going to get a ton of questions about the offensive line and what it looks like. You guys will see what it looks like when we line up across from another team and we get a chance to actually compete in live reps.
Me talking to you is probably not going to convince anybody here. You're going to keep asking me questions. See what it looks like, man. I'm excited about the group because I know they'll be better.
Q. Throughout the course of your last two years, what have you learned about yourself as a coach?
DEMECO RYANS: What I learned about myself is, man, for me, is something I always believed in. It's never rinse and repeat. It's always you got to redefine yourself. Our game is a always evolving and changing. For me as a coach, it's how do I continue to keep up with the trends, how do I put myself in a position to be a better leader.
That comes with delegating more, giving other guys more opportunities to grow. For me stepping aside and allowing guys to be the leaders, grow their leadership style and develop.
That's my job as a head coach. It's not only to develop players, which I love doing, but also to develop our coaches and our support staff. That's what I learned. I'm trying to do a better job of that.
Q. Can you give us an update on Joe Mixon?
DEMECO RYANS: Yeah, whenever that timeline is right for him to be back, he'll be back.
Q. The situation Tank Dell, still making progress. You guys made a determination on whether this season...
DEMECO RYANS: For Tank, he's doing great. He's crushing the rehab. He's doing phenomenal. Really great headspace. Great to see him just in our meetings into it. So whenever Tank is ready to go back, he'll be back. We're not putting a timeline on Tank to define he has to be back this season or this particular time.
I'm concerned about Tank as a young man, just getting back healthy physically and mentally. When that time is set he'll be back for us.
Q. Last year you got a chance to see how Dino was integral with Kamari, how Stephen helped (indiscernible) Jaylin Smith and Jaylen Reed. I know it's still early, what have you seen...
DEMECO RYANS: Yeah, great question. Steve and Dino, two really bright young coaches. I really enjoy working with them each and every day. They do a really great job of presenting, leading their groups, and they're dedicated to seeing their guys grow.
They really enjoy working with the young guys. You see that development from what Stephen has done with Calen, what Stingley has done with Kamari -- I mean, what Dino has done with Stingley and Kamari. You talk about arguably three of the best young players in the league at their position.
I am so proud of those coaches, and to see them grow, the work they put the in, they put in some long hours. So those guys work hard. Two really great guys I'm really proud of. I'm excited to see what they do with the young guys.
Jaylin Smith is out at corner working with Dino. He's been dialed in. He's been doing a lot of work with Kamari and Calen in the offseason. And also Jaylen Reed, Stephen has done a great job working with him on the communication piece. When the ball is snapped, he's all over the field making plays, continuing to dial in. In our league you have to communicate. You have to talk more. That's something all the college guys have to get adjusted to. He is doing a great job. Coming out here today, thought he did a phenomenal job day one of just communicating.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports