Jacques Cesaire, who spent the past two seasons as the Houston Texans defensive line coach, will join the Cleveland Browns staff for the 2024 season, the team announced Monday.
According to The Houston Chronicle, Cesaire' was not expected back in Houston following the end of his contract.
"Jacques brings energy and a proven track record as both a player and coach in this league," Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said in a statement. "He has made his impact felt in every place he has been, and we know he will come in and work to increase an already high standard for our defensive line."
Cesaire was one of several holdovers from Lovie Smith’s staff under first-year coach DeMeco Ryans. Smith, who took over for David Culley following the 2021 campaign, brought Cesaire over from the Buffalo Bills in 2022.
Houston's defensive line was arguably the franchise's most improved unit in 2023. Under Culley and Smith, the Texans featured one of the league's worst run defenses, allowing opponents to average over five yards per rush attempt.
Last season, the Texans ranked sixth against the run during the regular season, holding opponents to 96.6 yards per game and 3.5 yards per attempt. Houston also recorded a franchise-high 46 sacks, headlined by Jonathan Greenard and rookie Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson's progression could be attributed to Cesaire's work. After being drafted No. 3 overall last April, the former Alabama star became a fixture of the Texans front-seven, setting a Texans rookie record with seven sacks while being named to the Pro Bowl.
Cesaire spent nine seasons in the league as a player with the then-San Diego Chargers. He played in 125 games and totaled 275 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 27 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
He joins a defense headlined by potential Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett, who anchored a unit that allowed the fewest yards per contest. Last season, the 2017 No. 1 pick recorded a team-leading 14 sacks to go along with his 42 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits and three pass breakups.
Houston bested Cleveland 45-14 in the wild-card round of the AFC Playoff last month.
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