'Incredible Job!' Nick Caserio Raves About Texans Coach DeMeco Ryans

When it comes to the job of Ryans, Caserio has displayed an abundance of admiration. He made his third coaching hire last January with the hopes of laying the groundwork towards "sustainable success" in Houston.

Caserio has described working with Ryans as "outstanding" due to his consistency, energy, and sincerity. His attitude for the game has changed the locker room, instilling a winning mentality within the players.

Ryans spoke on how life is "less stressful" amid his second visit as coach of the Texans on Tuesday. Caserio shares the same sentiment, given that the 2024 off-season will be the first time there will be consistency working alongside a coach from the previous year.

"We are further ahead than we were last year," Caserio said. "Philosophically, we believe in the same thing. We view football through a similar lens. I have nothing but respect, admiration, and appreciation for him as a person. We just want to make the right decisions for the football team. It's our responsibility to each other and this franchise."

A new partner for Derek Stingley Jr.?

Second-year cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. is coming off a breakout season. Despite missing six games due to a hamstring injury, Stingley led the team in pass deflections (13) and interceptions (five), taking the lead as Houston's top cornerback.

His emergence has made Steven Nelson expendable. Caserio is appreciative of Nelson's contributions over the previous two seasons. However, he remains non-committal about Nelson's future.

"I have a lot of respect for the way Steven has handled himself and for the way he played this year," Caserio said. "But similar to many other players, we will have to go through the process.

"There are a lot of good players out there in free agency, including some of our players. But we are going to have someone out there playing opposite of Stingley. We will work through it over the next few weeks and see where we end up."

Nelson finished the 2023 season with 63 tackles, 48 solo hits, 12 pass deflections and four interceptions. During Houston's Wild Card victory against the Cleveland Browns, Nelson recorded one of two pick-sixs thrown by Joe Flacco.

Following his release from the Miami Dolphins, All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard is one of a handful of players who could replace Nelson's services. According to D.J. Bien-Aime of ESPN, Howard has an interest in joining the Texans.

Caserio will continue to value the Senior Bowl 

The Texans discovered one of their top rookie prospects during the 2023 Senior Bowl in Alabama. Wide receiver Tank Dell stood out during his showcase, which gave Caserio the confidence to trade up for the former University of Houston wide receiver.

Caserio was one of numerous general managers in attendance during the 2024 Senior Bowl. He revealed that it was another great experience. Similar to Dell, Caserio believes the Texans can use the post-season college football all-star game to add the desired depth and talent needed to revamp the roster for the upcoming season.

Before landing Dell, the Texans drafted running back Dameon Pierce following his standout performance in 2022.

Headlined by Texas A&M wide receiver Ainias Smith, the Texans met with a dozen prospects during the event.

"Honestly, that was one of the better collections of talent from top to bottom that Jim [Nagy] has assembled," Caserio said. "More than anything, you are looking into practice habits, how they interact with each other. We are always looking for different things.

"You can always learn something at every step of the way. It was fun to be down there for a couple of days."