Shaky 1-3 start to the 2025 season aside, there's no way to dispute that the Houston Texans boast a roster with numerous young building blocks who could materialize into bonafide All-Pro's. Whether it be CJ Stroud, who has yet to find his rookie year form, Nico Collins or Will Anderson Jr., there's a path forward for each of those players to become the best in the league at their respective positions.
Then there's cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., who in less that four seasons has arguably become the best defensive back in the game. After playing just nine games as a rookie, Stingley exploded in year two under new head coach DeMeco Ryans, picking off five passes in just 11 games, and then replicating that number in his third NFL season, establishing himself as an All-Pro at the young age of 23 years old.
This come-up, which isn't a huge surprise considering the Texans used the 3rd overall pick on him in 2022, is why FOX Sports' Bucky Brooks picked Derek Stingley Jr. as the most vital non-QB on Houston's roster.
"The All-Pro’s sticky coverage on the perimeter allows pass rushers Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter extra time to hunt down quarterbacks," writes Brooks. "Stingley’s exceptional instincts and superb movement skills enable him to shadowbox wideouts at the line before routinely knocking away or snagging passes directed at a WR1. With few cover corners possessing the fourth-year pro’s coverage ability or ball skills, the Texans must view Stingley as the irreplaceable player on their ultra-talented roster."
Fortunately for the Texans, Stingley is just one of a handful of building blocks in the secondary, adding Kamari Lassitier, Calen Bullock and Jalen Pitre to the mix, giving Houston one of the most loaded defensive back rooms in the NFL, which goes a long way in explaining why the Texans defense is quite possibly the league's best so far this season.
Derek Stingley Jr. hampered by injury to start 2025 season
Compared to each of the last two seasons, Derek Stingley's 2025 campaign hasn't gotten off to as strong of a start, but a nagging oblique injury does play a huge role in those struggles. Through four games, Stingley's PFF grade is 57.0, 100th out of 165 qualified cornerbacks this season. This is a drastic step backward from both 2024 (73.9, 31st) and 2023 (81.8, 13th).
But even as Stingley continues to find his footing, nobody within the Texans organization will be downplaying his importance to their short-term and long-term success. And because Houston was able to lock Stingley in on a 3-year, $90 million contract extension in the offseason, there's no reason to think the young cornerback won't continue to remain one of the most important building blocks in Houston
"Derek, he's a unique player. He's very talented, very gifted. For me, what I'm most encouraged about is, from when I first got here, to see where Stingley has grown to and what he's become, it's very impressive to watch, to see the growth of a player, the development of him," DeMeco Ryans said of Stingley back in August. "For him to be at the top of his craft, top of the game as a cornerback position, like he's done an outstanding job."