Houston Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans Applauds Christian Harris at NFL Scouting Combine…
Christian Harris, a former Alabama linebacker, has caught the attention of Houston Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans after making a strong impression in his first two seasons with the team.
INDIANAPOLIS — Many NFL players have followed similar career paths, including several Alabama football alumni. Eli Ricks and Josh Jobe, former Crimson Tide defensive backs, now play for the Philadelphia Eagles, while Marlon Humphrey and Jalyn Armour-Davis are with the Baltimore Ravens. However, none of these duos have had a relationship where one coached the other until recently.
DeMeco Ryans and Christian Harris found themselves in a unique situation when Ryans became the head coach of the Houston Texans last January. Ryans, a former linebacker from the University of Alabama who played for the Houston Texans, was now coaching Harris, a linebacker from the University of Alabama who played for the Houston Texans.
Harris had a promising 2022 season, although it was slightly affected by injury. However, he showed potential as a third-round pick.
In 2023, with Ryans replacing Smith as head coach, Harris emerged as one of Houston’s top defensive players. He led the team with 65 solo tackles and was second in combined tackles, helping the Texans improve from one of the worst defensive units in 2022 to the upper half of the league in 2023.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Ryans expressed high hopes for Harris in 2024, saying that the “sky’s the limit” for him. He compared Harris to San Francisco 49ers linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, whom he worked with from 2017 to 2022 in various defensive coaching roles.
Ryans also sees Harris’ career trajectory differently from others. Harris faced many obstacles in his first two NFL seasons, including missing the first five games of his rookie season due to injury and having a new head coach, defensive coordinator, and many new teammates on defense in 2023.
This season, Harris will have more continuity, which Ryans believes could lead to even greater 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.”
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