'Sky's the limit': Houston Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans Praises Christian Harris at NFL Scouting Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Numerous NFL players have embarked on similar career paths. 

In fact, that applies to several Alabama football alumni. Former Crimson Tide defensive backs Eli Ricks and Josh Jobe currently play for the Philadelphia Eagles, whereas Marlon Humphrey and Jalyn Armour-Davis currently play for the Baltimore Ravens. 

However, none of the relationships between those kinds of duos ever reached a point to where one was coaching the other...until a little over a year ago.  

DeMeco Ryans and Christian Harris entered a unique situation when Ryans was hired as the head coach of the Houston Texans last January. Ryans — a linebacker from the University of Alabama who played for the Houston Texans — was going to be the head coach of Houston, whose defensive room included Harris — a linebacker from the University of Alabama who played for the Houston Texans.

He had a promising 2022 that was slightly marred due to injury, but there was certainly promise from the third-rounder. 

With Ryans replacing Smith in 2023, Harris blossomed into one of Houston's best defensive players. He finished the regular season with a team-leading 65 solo tackles and only trailed fellow linebacker Blake Cashman in combined tackles. Harris' efforts also helped leapfrog the Texans from one of the worst defensive units in 2022 to the upper-half of the league in 2023. 

Heading into 2024, Ryans said at the NFL Scouting Combine that the "sky's the limit" for Harris. Ryans also spoke of Harris in the same vain as San Francisco 49ers linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, who Ryans worked with from 2017-22 in various defensive coaching roles. 

"Christian is one of the fastest linebackers that I've had a chance to work with," Ryans said. "Very explosive, instinctive player."

Ryans also sees Harris' career trajectory differently than most. In Harris' first two NFL seasons, he experienced a lot of obstacles. He missed the first five games of his rookie season due to injury and entered the 2023 season with a new head coach, new defensive coordinator and a lot of new teammates on defense. 

This season, Harris will finally have some continuity. That, Ryans said, could be the springboard to even more success in 2024. 

"I see last year as Christian's rookie year," Ryans said. "I'm excited to see him build off of what he did last year."