Texans defense creating a culture focused on collective production

HOUSTON — Presumed Houston Texans starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor received a snap from Justin Britt during the first 11-on-11 work, Tuesday morning, at Houston Methodist Training Center. Up until that point, Taylor had put together a series of plausible performances during camp, showcasing his accuracy and ability to take care of the football as an NFL quarterback.

Taylor dropped back a few yards to attempt a deep pass to wideout Brandin Cooks, but defensive back Lonnie Johnson Jr. came away with the interception. A few sessions later, Taylor threw his second interception on the day — as a pass attempt to Chris Conley resulted in a pick made by Tavierre Thomas.

Thomas said his experience as a high school offensive player has contributed to his ability to make plays on the ball as a defensive back.

Taylor’s two interceptions were not a testament to an inadequate quarterback performance. But the picks were an indication of the improvements the Texans made to their defense since the start of training camp — an encouraging sight for first-year head coach David Culley.

“A part of that [interceptions] has just been guys have been making plays,” Culley said. “It hasn’t been because we’ve made a bad throw. A lot of those have been because they’ve made good plays, and that’s encouraging to see, and that’s always a positive when you see that happening.”

Last season, the Texans potentially owned the league’s most inferior defense. They gave up an average of 416.8 total yards while allowing their opponents to score 29.0 points through 16 regular-season games. But three weeks into training camp, it is highly improbable that the Texans will repeat the same defensive transgressions that resulted in a mere 4-12 season in 2020.