DeMeco Ryans Has High Praise for Texans' Veteran Playmaker

As the Houston Texans head into a sudden death stretch run, the toll of the walking wounded isn't confined to the high-profile continued absence of superstar quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Guys who are banged up have been producing regardless, and head coach DeMeco Ryans has singled out veteran tight end Dalton Schultz for particularly high praise.

“Dalton [Schultz] continues to play really great football for us. To get the drive started, there in the two-minute [drill], was a huge play in the two-minute drive that doesn't get talked about a lot," Ryans said after facing the Tennessee Titans.

"But that was big for us to get going and he's made play after play for us, each game. Dalton shows up in critical moments, making plays, and he's fighting through, as everybody is at this time, fighting through injuries and things of that nature, but he continues to scrap, he continues to battle. It's important to him to go out and play his best for his teammates and he shows that. He puts it on the line every single week, and I'm proud of the toughness and grit that he's showing.”

DeMeco Ryans Highlights Dalton Schultz's Impact

Nov 9, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (86) attempts to make a recption as Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard (42) defends during the fourth quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Schultz is serving as a real tone setter for an offense that's lived mostly in the considerable shadow of the bully boy Texans defense, but the hotly anticipated return of Stroud should give them some star quality once again.

Even so, that's not to say that backup quarterback Davis Mills hasn't done his part to keep their hopes alive, but Ryans knows he has to try and keep things simple in order to find further success against the high-powered Buffalo Bills on TNF.

"Winning on third down will be key for us," Ryans insisted. "We didn't do a great job on third down this past week, so that'll be key. Then we have to finish drives in the red zone. [Red zone] hasn't been great for us on both sides, so we've got to do a great job of finishing drives, defensively and offensively in the red zone.”

Ever since Stroud was knocked into the concussion protocol by the Denver Broncos defense, Ryans has turned to his veterans and rookies alike, and it's delivered a pair of vital wins which have breathed new life back into the Texans' playoff hopes.

While that kind of mojo could propel them along on their mission, the rather monumental challenge of facing Josh Allen and the Bills surely will make pulling off a similar kind of win far less likely.

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What's abundantly clear right now, however, is that coach Ryans is juggling a whole bunch of different variables as they head into another crunch matchup. The danger of indulging an over-fixation on how the standings are looking is something that Ryans is already seemingly guarding against.

“We just find a way to win. Those standings really don’t matter right now at this point," Ryans declared. "What matters is, however the standings look, I know what improves the standings is winning. So, my focus is on doing everything I can possibly do to help our team be in a position to win this game this week. The standings and all those things, they will take care of themselves.”

Of course, veterans like Schultz will not only play their part by suiting up through pain and adversity; they will also help keep the younger guys focused on taking it just one game at a time.

So far, Ryans has done a pretty masterful job of keeping his guys on an even keel through some ups and downs and the major injuries they’ve suffered, but now the acid test is to just keep their eyes on the prize of stacking more and more crucial wins.

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