Derek Stingley Jr. is comparable to Deion Sanders in one key area, Texans coach Demeco Ryans explains
Ryans has high praise for Stingley, who's coming off a first-team All-Pro season in 2024
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Chris Bengel
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1 min read
Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. has developed into one of the league's top defensive backs after turning in a first-team All-Pro campaign in 2024. For the second consecutive season, Stingley finished with five interceptions to lead the Texans in that category.
As a result, DeMeco Ryans believes Stingley has some of the more impressive hands the Texans coach has ever seen, including Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
"Derek definitely has some of the best hands that I've seen," Ryans said, per NFL.com. "From the corner perspective, you can throw in Coach Prime (Deion Sanders), some great hands as well. But, 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. 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."
Obviously, Ryans recognizes what Stingley brings to the table in terms of his hands, but he isn't planning to play the young cornerback on the offensive side of the ball like Sanders did.
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Stingley ended up tallying a career-high 54 combined tackles, 18 passes defended and five interceptions in 2024. It was the first season in which the former first-round pick played in all 17 games.
According to Next Gen Stats, Stingley allowed the fewest yards per target (4.9) along with the lowest passer rating (56.9) while in coverage among cornerbacks last season. In addition, Stingley leads the NFL with 31 passes defended since the start of the 2023 season, while also being the only player that has logged 10+ interceptions and 25+ passes defended during that span.
The Texans rewarded Stingley's stellar play with a three-year, $90 million contract extension in March, which includes $89.02 million of guaranteed money. The deal makes Stingley the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history.
