Texans coach DeMeco Ryans clarifies Will Anderson’s role on defense
Will Anderson is an edge defender. All of the pre-draft materials on the former Alabama product labeled him as such.
The Houston Texans have a better understanding of where they place their No. 3 overall pick in new coach DeMeco Ryans’ 4-3 defense.
Ryans met with reporters on May 12 and noted that what the Texans are asking of Anderson is, “not a huge position change for Will.”
The technique for how the Texans plan to use Anderson’s edge defense skills is what will alter from his playing days with the Crimson Tide.
“Mostly at Alabama he was standing up; we’ll have him down in a three-point stance,” Ryans said. “It’s not a big time position change for him. We won’t have him playing over the guard like he did some there later in his career, so it’s not a huge position change for Will.”
With Anderson getting to play more on the edge, it should keep him fresher since he won’t have to balance going against interior offensive linemen.
The Texans have a quartet of effective defensive tackles in Maliek Collins, Roy Lopez, Hassan Ridgeway, and Sheldon Rankins that should keep Anderson’s talents on the edge.
