As the Houston Texans gear up to face the Indianapolis Colts for the frist time during the 2025 NFL Season, coneventional wisdom would say that the number one objective for the Texans defense would be to keep running back Jonathan Taylor in check.
Now make no mistake, limiting the damage done by the league's leading rusher will be something that Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke are preaching throughout the week. Taylor has dominated one defense after another this season, topping the 100-yard mark five times and posting five three-touchdown performances as well.
But when DeMeco Ryans stepped to the podium on Monday afternoon to field questions about this ever-crucial AFC South showdown this Sunday, it wasn't Taylor that he referred to as 'a one-man wrecking crew.' No, that distinction was reserved for a rookie tight end who has just 11 career games under his belt.
“Tyler Warren, he's a playmaker. Wherever you get this kid the ball, he's explosive, a little faster than you think, tougher than you think. He showed that at Penn State. He was a one-man wrecking crew. He did a really nice job at Penn State and it's carried over here to the league," Ryans said, per Keith Cummings of Sports Illustrated.
Everything that Ryans said of Tyler Warren's game is true, and it's also true that the first-year tight end is on pace to finish the season with 85 receptions and 1,023 yards, which would make him only the fourth rookie tight end in league history -- along with Mike Ditka, Kyle Pitts and Brock Bowers -- to finish his rookie season with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
It makes sense that he's established such an obvious connection and clear trust with Colts quarterback Daniel Jones so quickly.
"You can see they're trying to put him in spots to get him the football because he is that type of guy. He's a playmaker, a guy it seems like you can trust, you can count on him," Ryans added. "He continues to show up, play after play, down after down for those guys.”
So how exactly does Warren continue to show up, down after down, for the Indianapolis Colts? Well, we have to go back to Jonathan Taylor to answer that question.
Because opposing defenses need to keep all eyes on JT at all times, it creates opportunities for Colts pass-catchers, such as Tyler Warren, to gash opponents through the air, and that's something Indianapolis has done plenty of this year. According to Pro Football Reference, only Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold, Jared Goff, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye have more play-action pass yards in 2025 than Indiana Jones does.
"They do a good job of their play-action pass game, really timing it up at the proper time. Really catching a lot of defenses off guard. They're creating a lot of explosives there as well. So, you've got to play true," Ryans noted. "You have to play with elite eye discipline, elite awareness to what your job is and being on it. Because if not, Shane has always done a good job, offensively, of creating eye candy, as I call it, to mess with guys' eyes, to put their guys in position to make plays.”
That's exactly what the Texans defense needs to do on Sunday, otherwise, it will be Tyler Warren and the entire Colts offense 'wrecking' Houston's hopes of making the Playoffs.