Houston’s Sack Duo Could Take Texans Defense to New Heights

Houston’s defense is only getting stronger as the young pieces continue to grow more comfortable at the NFL level, and it all starts up front with one of the league’s most formidable pass rushing units. Danielle Hunter, the league’s second-highest paid edge defender, and Will Anderson Jr. combined for 23 sacks last season, and minicamp has fans anticipating an even stronger performance in 2025.

Of course, matching up with the offense’s makeshift and ever-changing offensive line does them a few favors, especially in shorts. ESPN’s DJ Bien-Aime reported his takeaways from minicamp and recalled a Day 1 rep that saw the two elite pass rushers converge on CJ Stroud in the pocket simultaneously. Texans fans will be more pleased to see that in real action against the opposition this fall.

Hunter recently said that he and Anderson missed several sacks last season, which is a scary thing for opposing offenses to consider. With the defensive backfield back at full strength, lockdown coverage on the backend could provide more opportunities for the unit upfront to wreak havoc. 

Last year, Houston totaled 49 sacks, which ranked fourth in the league, but was still considerably behind the Denver Broncos at No. 1 with 63. If Hunter and Anderson are combining for closer to or more than 30 sacks themselves in 2025, the Texans’ defense has a real shot at reaching such a number themselves.

While much of the national narrative is centered on Houston’s concerns offensively, particularly on the offensive line, the strengths of this team on the defensive side are what carried them to a consistent finish in head coach DeMeco Ryans’ second season with the franchise. 

Still, the entire team needs to take a significant step forward to join the race at the top of the conference rather than being lumped in with the rest of the crowd in the upper middle of the pack. With room to improve at the team’s strongest spot, that step starts with the already dominant duo off the edge, with Hunter and Anderson leading the charge.