The Houston Texans are primed for a late season playoff push thanks to complementary play on offense and defense. However, the defense led by cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. should be receiving more attention.
The play of the young defensive back has continued to get better and better with each passing week since returning to the lineup in Week 9. The 2022 third overall selection is currently playing at an elite level, and it's starting to pay dividends for the Texans.
The Texans have finally found the ideal usage for their top defensive back and all credit goes to Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans. The team's rookie head coach has found the best way to utilize his young weapon on defense and it's allowing Stingley to start making plays at a more consistent level. However, those inside the Texans building knew this type of breakout was coming.
"The thing I like about Stingley is that he's playing with confidence and he's showing up making plays," Ryans said. "Stingley's been doing this and everyone wants to talk about Stingley now. He's been this player. He gets interceptions and now everyone wants to ask questions about Stingley. Stingley's been a consistent player for us from day one."
Over the past three weeks, Stingley has allowed eight catches and has eight interceptions + pass deflections. Stingley has recorded four interceptions over his last three games, including a two interception performance in Week 13 which resulted in him taking home the AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The second-year cornerback currently leads the NFL with .67 interceptions per game this season and continues to be a ball hawk in coverage.
Stingley has deservingly been getting a lot of praise over the last couple of weeks, including from his rookie quarterback who praised the level Stingley has been playing at on defense while appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday.
"I told him after the game, he's special and he's a generational talent," Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said. "He's the most talented dude on our team, by far. Just by pure athleticism, ball skills, getting out of breaks, he's the most talented dude on our team. He's been working his tail off at it so I'm super proud of that dude."
The sky is the limit for Stingley's career in the NFL if he's continued to be used in the correct way. According to A to Z film analyst James Foster, Stingley has given up two touchdowns in off coverage but has looked phenomenal in press man coverage on his own. We'll see how he continues to be used throughout the rest of the season.
More must-reads: