Houston Texans Coach Makes Strong Statement on Derek Stingley Jr.

The Houston Texans made a massive commitment to the future of their defense this summer upon their huge extension dished out to star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., landing a three-year, $90 million deal, landing him with the highest annual value for a cornerback in the entire NFL.

It was nothing short of a substantial vote of confidence in the budding young cornerback, as he now looks primed to not only be a leader among this Texans defense for years to come, but has the contract value to stack up as one of the best defenders in the league for the foreseeable future.

Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) breaks up a pass intended for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) during the first quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

And so far into Texans OTAs, Stingley has made his presence clear on this defense in the eyes of defensive coordinator Matt Burke, who raved about his young corner's improvements already seen this summer despite inking his big-time contract.

"He's day in and day out," Burke said." As a coaching staff, we've actually kind of talked about it off-and-on, the growth we've seen from him in the two-plus years we've been here just continues. He's really trying to fine-tune a bunch of things to take it to the next level with him. The focus is there. The work is always there with Sting. It's been really cool to watch. It's hard sometimes to step back in that big picture window, but from a two-year span to where he continues to grow, it's really cool to see. So, really excited for him to keep developing with where he's headed, for sure."

During his last season in the mix for Houston, Stingley finished with 17 starts to log 54 combined tackles, four TFLs, 18 passes defended, along with five interceptions. An extremely dominant year from the Texans' third-year corner, landing him with his first First-Team All-Pro selection at year's end.

Now positioned next to a year two Kamari Lassiter, a new intriguing rookie in third-round pick Jaylin Smith, along with a revitalized safety unit in the back-end, Stingley will be the prime building block of what could be one of the best lockdown NFL secondaries across 2025.

And if his last two years of production and Burke's comments are a sign of anything, the stage could be set for a Defensive Player of the Year-esque season out of Stingley this season.

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