Sep 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans reacts after a Texans turnover during the first quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

DeMeco Ryans Issues Encouraging Statement on Houston Texans Rookie

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 12:30 PM ET

The Houston Texans are currently in the midst of their offseason OTAs sessions, providing a chance to get this new roster put together from the past few months in the building for some early training reps, both returning faces and new veteran and rookie ones added into the mix, to see an early look at this roster ahead of next regular season.

And for Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, there's been one rookie in the mix who's stood out within the mix, simply due to his work ethic: second-round tackle Aireontae Ersery.

Ryans shared his early thoughts on Ersery through his first month-plus of being in the Texans' facility, noting that the second-round pick has already shown signs of growth since being drafted.

"He's doing a really good job of just being dialed in," Ryans said during Tuesday's OTAs. "He's getting extra work in with [offensive line coach] Cole [Popovich]. They're doing a great job of working with him. He's a rookie, he's figuring it out. I can see growth. You can see him be better on some of his protection sets."

"We asked him to work more inside-out, and to see him take that coaching point, and to put it into action the next day, that's all you can ask for in these settings," Ryans continued. "Can a guy take the coaching and apply it in a quick manner? Aireontae has done that, and that just leads me to believe he'll continue to do that. No matter what problems or issues he faces, he can take the coaching, he can apply it, and he can get better from it."

Ersery was the Texans' 48th-overall pick in April's draft and looks to be the Texans' projected long-term tackle on the left side to protect C.J. Stroud. And while it may only be less than six weeks since he joined the team, Ryans and his staff have seen some positive signs of progress in his development.

The Texans can't get a full scope of what they have within their rookie tackle just yet at this point in the offseason. Being in just OTAs, the team hasn't yet thrown on the pads or gone into a full-fledged NFL practice, so there's still a long road ahead when it comes to seeing exactly how Houston's rookie class is set to pan out.

But so far for the Texans' first-year tackle, he's gotten off on the right foot.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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