Demeco Ryans - Head Coach, texans Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-08 | Full transcript (primary source).
Demeco Ryans addressed the media during a press conference on September 8, 2026, as the Houston Texans prepare for their upcoming season opener against the Buffalo Bills. Ryans discussed the team's preparation and expectations, emphasizing the importance of the players' hard work during training camp.
Transcript
Ryans: Josh Allen has had some success rushing past against him, but overall he has a loose quarterback or some things that he needs to try to contain some of the plays to the game the way he does. Josh is a really tremendous quarterback. When it comes to playmaking ability, he has a really great job of, he does a great job of extending plays probably better than anyone in the league. Therefore you have to be able to continue rushing as the defense alignment is going to take extra effort by everyone, it's going to take guys covering a little bit longer because the guy is a really great playmaker.
Reporter: Can we go anything about where your team is overall and kind of expectations from you for this season and what we could expect from this team?
Ryans: I'm really excited to see what this team becomes. They put in the work throughout training camp to, I always talk to our guys about how you have to earn, right, that confidence. So our guys have earned it. They've done a great job of preparing, started today preparing for Buffalo, and we have to continue to build that as the week goes ahead. But I'm proud of this team where we sit right now today, and now we get to go and show our work, right? And we have to show up on game day, and that's the main thing. This first game of the seasons are always tricky games to prepare for, tricky games when it comes to, you know, how the games go. It can go a lot of different ways. But for us, you know, as a team for the past few seasons that I've been here, for us to get off to a really good start, it's going to take us starting fast on offense. When we've done well in our season opener, we play well on offense. So it starts there. Defense has to do a great job as well of being the strength, being the backbone of our team. But the offense, if we jump out, we play fast. That'll be the key for us.
Reporter: You can go to the captains. The captain picks her out. What does that mean for you to have these four guys representing as a leadership?
Ryans: We have the right four guys leading our team when it comes to captains. Jalen, CJ, Aziz, and Will, couldn't name four guys. Better four guys if I tried. The team did a great job of selecting those guys because, you know, it's very evident in how those guys go about their business every single day. Like, they're consistent in their preparation. Like, they care for the locker room. They're courageous when it's time to speak up those guys, speak up. So that's who you want. As captains, our team selected those guys and they will represent us very well.
Reporter: What's this week like for you, first week of the season? Does it change? Is it the same kind of excitement every year when you get to actually get started?
Ryans: It's, for me, it's different every year, but that first week, it's very exciting. Right, trying to not get too excited too quickly, but, man, we put a lot of work in throughout the off season, right? Our last season didn't end the way we wanted it to end. So now it's been a, you know, it's been a huge build up to this season opener. And we just have to go out and play the right way. You know, once the hoopla and the hype kind of calms down and we just get to playing football, it's going to always come down to in the first game. Are you on your communication? Are you on your details? Are you doing the things that you're supposed to do? Playing clean football. You play clean the first game, you have a chance to win it. So that's what it'll be. That's what it'll come down to once the hypes of size.
Reporter: I know that the quarterback position for the Buffalo Bills is the one that's off. It always gets the spotlight. They also have a very good running game as well. What is it, what is some of the things that you all have to do as a defensive line to be able to contain that running game?
Ryans: James Cook is an exceptional player. He led the league in rushing last year, not to surprise anyone. This guy is a very impressive runner. When you talk about him, he's trying to stretch the defense horizontally. And when he puts the foot in the ground, he's trying to go vertical and trying to see who was not in their proper gap. And if you're not there right here, he's gonna make you pay with explosive runs. And that's how they generate most of their explosive runs. It's when someone is not exactly where they're supposed to be, right? So you have to play very sound. You have to build the wall up front. You have to set edges. He got a run out on us last year, short yardage. He popped a run on us because we weren't fitting our gaps properly. And we didn't finish from the safety position. So it's all hands on deck to stop James Cook. It starts there. He's an exceptional player. He's gonna deserve a lot of attention, which he should, because the guy is impressive to watch.
Reporter: The detail that you just talked about, though, does that go back to one of the things that you implemented into training camp this year as far as the precision is concerned?
Ryans: Precision is key when it comes to stopping him in the run. You can't over pursue, right, and try to play someone else's gap or do someone else's job when you're supposed to be where you're supposed to be. If you're not there, he will find you. And that's what makes him a really great back. He's patient. He plays a really great vision. He's pressing the front side, but he'll catch you sleeping on the backside. So you have to, you know, just remain, I'd say, remain disciplined. You know, that word gets thrown out a lot, but it truly comes down to playing discipline, gap, sound, defense. If you want to stop this guy, everybody has to be where they're supposed to be.
Reporter: How has Kayshaun come along? And do you feel like y'all have a point where y'all can fully integrate him or is that going to take a little bit of time?
Ryans: Kayshaun is learning the playbook very well and we're throwing it all at him. So, and he's a smart guy. He's picked up on what we've asked him to do. There was some carryover and the things that he's learning. So the speed of transition is definitely there. He's done a great job of being attentive to what we're asking to do and we're throwing him out there. So, I mean, let's see. We're trying to go win a football game. We traded for the guy for a reason, think he's a really good playmaker. So we want to see that show up on Sunday.
Reporter: What does DJ Moore add to this offense?
Ryans: Yeah, adding DJ Moore is a big get for the Bills. He gives them that true number one receiver that I think they've been missing for a while. He can stretch the defense vertically. So you have DJ Moore to be concerned with and you also have Kincaid to be worried about. So all eyes just can't go on Kincaid. You got to be concerned with DJ Moore. He has, you know, some history with the head coach there. Him and Brady were in Carolina. So I know, you know, they'll kind of pick up where they left off. He's familiar with that offense. So they're getting the guy they're familiar with who knows their offense, who can add some big play value to their offense. So we got to cover him well. It gives Josh Allen the target downfield that, you know, they like to throw the ball, get the ball out of his hands quickly. But now you add that element of adding DJ Moore. Now we have to be more aware for the play action pass game that I think will be heightened in their offense this year. So we have to be aware for that.
Reporter: On the side of the football with the Bills defense, what are some traits you see from those defense, their personality?
Ryans: With Jim Leonard, is there some unpredictability just kind of maybe him not having as much at this level, knowing as much about him as a defensive signal call? Overall, this is a new Buffalo Bills team. It's not the team we played the past couple of years, our new head coach and new coordinators on all three phases. What Jim brings, they're going to be a more multiple front. So you'll see more five down fronts than they've had, you know, in the past. So they're going to put their base defense out there. He's going to try to mix it up, try to confuse the quarterback with some disguises, bringing different pressures, dropping the outside linebackers and coverage. So we have to be on it from a preparation standpoint because, you know, right now his, you know, for his track record, it's his first game, you know, calling it with the Bills. So he has everything at his disposal when it comes to trying to confuse the quarterback. So we just have to make sure we're playing rules ball and we're protecting the ball at all costs. And we got to do a great job of trying to control the line of scrimmage. They have a really good front. I mean, they've added a lot of depth to their front, which I think will be a strong unit for them this year. So and Jim has called it in college. So he's not new to calling football games. He's a really good, really great player in this league, made a lot of plays and now transitioning to coaching. He's been coaching for a while. He's not a newbie. So he knows what he's doing. He knows how to try to get the offense is playing, you know, playing off key a little bit. So I'm excited for the matchup. He'll throw some good things at us. Our offense has seen a lot of different things. So they'll be ready to handle it.
Reporter: Tamiko, you've talked about kind of hype and hoopla outside of the building and a lot of people have picked your defense as the best in the league. I know they have to go out there and do it, but how good do you think your defense can be this year?
Ryans: I think our defense is, you know, can definitely be one of the best defenses in the league. And that's the goal every year. Like we line up. We talk in the meetings about it. Like, it's, we don't shy away from it. We expect to go out and play well and now you got to go do it. But our guys, they've done it before, right? That just doesn't automatically happen. You got to go and prove it on Sundays, but our guys are up for any challenge any given week versus any offense. So I expect our defense again to be the strength of our team. And I expect our offense to come right along with us, right? For us to be a good team and make it where we want to go. We got to have great defense and we got to have great offense, right? We both got to compliment each other and that's what you need to have a great team. And that's what I'm preaching to our guys. It's not just about the defense being great. Our offense needs to be great as well. So that'll be the key for us this year.
Reporter: Luke, go ahead. Take a few more.
Ryans: He hasn't necessarily showcased it against y'all, but we talked about him as a runner. How much of a threat in the past game do you see him potentially being?
Ryans: You know, Cook is just a guy, he's dynamic when he gets the ball in his hand. So in the past couple years, they've done a great job of getting the ball out quickly to guys, whether that's behind the line of scrimmage, it doesn't matter. Cook still, he gets the ball in his hands. He's fast enough. He's elusive enough. He's strong enough to break runs. He has the home run ability. So it's any time you get the ball in his hands, we have to close space on him as quickly as possible and not give him as many options. So we got to play tight defense when it comes to the bag, whether he's out in a passing route or if he's running the football, we need everybody on them to smother him as quickly as possible.
Reporter: Go ahead, man. Last year was kind of a signature game for the pass rush. When you look at Danille Hunter and Will Anderson Jr., the tandem, have you seen anything like this ever in all your time in football?
Ryans: Never seen anything like Will and Danille and I'm happy they're on my side. It's fun, you know, when you game plan and you have those two guys, we can put more on those guys because of just they're two of the best pass rushers in the league and everybody doesn't have that luxury. So we put a lot of those guys and we know teams are game playing for those guys because they're, if you don't, they're very disruptive and they can wreck a game. So we try to do our best to move those guys around, put them in different positions to be successful. But man, what a blessing it is to have Will and Danille on your side. It makes me such a better coach.
Reporter: It's an opportunity to get a lot of reps in the preseason. How beneficial is it for him to be able to go up against top-rated defense like yours and even though he doesn't get that game time as far as the preseason games are concerned but to be able to get that type of reps against that defense?
Ryans: CJ and our offense, they battled all training camp versus a really tough defense and they've had their days where they've made plays. It's been a very competitive camp and that's what I love about our camp, right? It was very competitive now. Let's go see it against someone different but they've gotten a lot of great work. I feel like our tackles have gotten a lot of great work from our edge players. Our O-line has done a great job all camp, protecting CJ. So we expect to see the same thing. It's going to start with how we protect, also how we run block guys who played aggressive up front, run the ball well because of the O-line and what they've done blocking. So it all plays together. It all ties together. So a training camp is about that iron sharpening iron. We've sharpened each other all camp and now we get the opportunity to go put it on display in front of everyone.
Ryans: All right. Thank you, guys.
