'Impeccable!' What New Coach Matt Burke Adds to DeMeco Ryans' Texans Staff
Matt Burke, Houston's new defensive coordinator for head coach DeMeco Ryans and the Texans, says he is here to "serve.''
And the Texans defense needs all of that he can offer.
Burke began his coaching career as an assistant at Bridgton Academy way back in 1998. His first coaching gig at the NFL level came in 2004 as an administrative assistant for the Tennessee Titans.
He quickly moved into the defensive quality control coach for the Titans from 2006-2008 before bouncing around a plethora of pro teams, mostly as a linebackers coach -- spending time with the Detroit Lions (2009-2013), Cincinnati Bengals (2014-2015) and Miami Dolphins (2016).
Burke's first season as a true defensive coordinator occurred from 2017-2018 with the Dolphins, shortly before joining the Philadelphia Eagles organization in 2019 as a defensive special assistant and 2020 as a run game coordinator and defensive line coach.
He then became the game management coach for the New York Jets in 2021 prior to assuming defensive responsibilities with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 as the defensive line coach before joining the Texans for the 2023 NFL season.
"I’m extremely appreciative for the opportunity from Meco," Burke said. "I’m excited to get to work with him. ... He’s a winner and just his approach has been impeccable from player, coach, everything.''
Houston is going to need all the help it can get after finishing the year as one of the worst teams in the league in 2022.
That's something the 46-year-old Burke hopes to changes in the years ahead, as the new defensive coordinator aims to take an aggressive approach in 2023.
"We want to be aggressive and have an attack front," Burke said. "I have a history with what DeMeco did with that front obviously in San Fran. So, at the end of the day, my job is to help him execute his vision for what he wants.''
Burke is also hoping to bring back the defensive line hype that used to exist back in the J.J. Watt days.
"If you don’t have that D-line, then you have to start adding pieces to the rush, to the pressure part," Burke said. "Now, you’re taking away from the coverage. So, yeah, again, I’m biased because that’s been my world for a long time, but, yeah, I think, again, this defense and this scheme starts up front.''
Hopefully, for the Texans, those defensive elements will eventually equate to Houston victories.
For Burke, Ryans and the rest of the Texans brass, the work has already begun leading up to the NFL Draft next month in Kansas City.
New head coach.
New coordinators.
And a pair of new first-round draft picks waiting in the wings come April 27.
Are you ready, Texans fans?
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