{"id":680094,"date":"2026-01-15T20:30:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/680094\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T20:30:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:30:17","slug":"how-texans-will-anderson-jr-destroys-everything-danielle-hunter-one-of-a-kind-rod-wright-blessed-to-coach-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/680094\/","title":{"rendered":"How Texans\u2019 Will Anderson Jr. \u2018destroys everything,\u2019 Danielle Hunter \u2018one of a kind,\u2019 Rod Wright \u2018blessed\u2019 to coach them"},"content":{"rendered":"

HOUSTON \u2013 From his unique vantage point, Rod Wright witnesses it all unfolding in front of him.<\/p>\n

Standing on the sideline on the edge of the field, the Texans\u2019 defensive line coach sees piles of fallen quarterbacks all season, a mounting body count with sack after sack after sack.<\/p>\n

Wright, an Alief native and former All-American defensive end at the University of Texas, hears a series of thuds from shoulder pads and helmets popping as the Texans\u2019 elite defensive end tandem of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter wreck games with their intricate repertoire of pass-rushing moves.<\/p>\n

Most of all, though, Wright is able to have the advanced knowledge of knowing just how sharp Anderson and Hunter are and dedicated to their craft, how much they listen to him and each other and bounce ideas back and forth an epic collaboration.<\/p>\n

No one in the game has a set of bookend defensive ends like the Texans. No one has two gifted and relentless edges who both earned the prestigious All-Pro recognition this season. These guys are simply built different. <\/p>\n

And Wright can\u2019t emphasize loudly enough how grateful he is to be coaching two athletic, tough and relentless football players who love what they do for a living and perform at such a consistently ultra-competitive level.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, it\u2019s a great, great time coaching these guys,\u201d Wright told KPRC 2. \u201cReally humbling, the talent level they have, the IQ they have, the leadership qualities they have, the relentless play style they have. Any coach would love to have these guys in their room and I\u2019m blessed to be the guy to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are a lot of parallels between Anderson and Hunter, and a deep friendship and respect. They do have different styles and personalities.<\/p>\n

Anderson is still polishing his moves and has made great strides at finishing at the top of his pass rush with upgraded hand work and a more compact, streamlined, direct pathway to the quarterback as well as being an accomplished edge-setter. The former Alabama star is a former third overall pick, a Lombardi and Bronko Nagurski award winner and Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year who earned first-team All-Pro status and Pro Bowl honors. Anderson has a boisterous, fun-loving and outspoken personality.<\/p>\n

Anderson will be eligible for a blockbuster contract extension after this third NFL season. The Texans are expected to ultimately make him one of the highest paid defensive players in the league and will prioritize his contract as soon as this off-season, per sources.<\/p>\n

In just three NFL seasons, Anderson already has recorded 30 sacks, 136 tackles, 46 tackles for losses and 64 quarterback hits. This season, he has 12 sacks, 20 tackles for losses, 23 quarterback hits and one fumble returned for a touchdown.<\/p>\n

He started every game and had career-highs for tackles, tackles for losses and three forced fumbles. <\/p>\n

According to Next Gen Stats, Anderson finished with the second-most quarterback pressures in the NFL with 85 and the third-highest pressure rate, a 20.5 percent clip. He also set the NFL record for most third-down pressures (48) in a single season in the Next Gen Stats era.<\/p>\n

Hunter looks like he\u2019s built out of granite. His chiseled muscles pop out of his uniform. His biceps are softball-sized. The Morton Ranch graduate excelled at track and field before signing a scholarship to LSU. He finished third in the NFL despite recording 15 sacks to rank third in the NFL at the measuring stick statistical category for defensive ends. Hunter is all smiles typically. He enjoys himself, including the banter of the locker room.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, obviously, just their nicknames,\u201d Wright said. \u201cI mean, the Terminator is just how Will is: hit everything, destroy everything, the destroyer. The guy, just the physicality that he plays with, his motor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWill, he\u2019s a joy to have in the building. Obviously, you\u2019ve seen him get really serious, but behind closed doors with us, man, it\u2019s never a light moment with him. There\u2019s always something going on. If it\u2019s quiet, he\u2019s going to be the guy to get us going, laugh and all that stuff. But also when it\u2019s time to lock in, he\u2019ll lock in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter chooses his words carefully and is the opposite of a self-promoter. He doesn\u2019t talk himself up at all and consistently deflects praise to his teammates and coaches and discusses team goals and accomplishments. He\u2019s a Quiet Storm type. They call him Cyborg.<\/p>\n

The Texans signed him to a one-year, $35.6 million contract extension in the off-season and a total of $54.1 million total guaranteed combined this season and next season for a $55.1 million total payout in 2025 and 2026. <\/p>\n

Hunter, acquired in free agency before last season after starting his career with the Minnesota Vikings, has posted 14 or more sacks four times in his career, becoming the 13th player in NFL history to accomplish the feat.<\/p>\n

\u201cCyborg, man, he\u2019s also physical and relentless, but a little bit more methodical, a little bit more unorthodox,\u201d Wright said. \u201cHard to guess what he\u2019s going to do from play to play when it comes to rushing. Both are very disciplined when it comes to the run game. And both guys obviously present a challenge to any opposing lineman they\u2019re going against.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith D-Hunt, he\u2019s been there, done that. Seen it all, doesn\u2019t overreact to anything. Very calm demeanor, kind of the Yin and Yang type of deal. Both have a presence about them, but it\u2019s very different. Don\u2019t sleep on Danielle\u2019s personality. Really funny guy, likes to have fun as well. Got to behind closed doors, though. If you don\u2019t really know him, he\u2019s kind of a more reserved type of guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter, profiled earlier this season by KPRC 2, for his passion for fashion and wardrobe of custom suits designed by the Gentleman\u2019s Playbook.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s put together,\u201d Wright said. \u201cHe had a leather jacket this past weekend, I told him: \u2018Make sure I get one in my size.\u2019 He doesn\u2019t need it. He probably has about 10 of them.<\/p>\n

Hunter, 31, has 114 1\/2 sacks in the regular season. <\/p>\n

Hunter earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week Ten as he posted a career-high-tying 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and one forced fumble.<\/p>\n

With a rare and incredible blend of speed, power and precision,\u00a0Hunte<\/a>r displayed in one fluid motion why he\u2019s one of the most dominant pass rushers in the game.<\/p>\n

Hunter launched himself out of his three-point stance with a quick, short jab step to his left that got Detroit Lions Pro Bowl offensive tackle Penei Sewell off-balance as he reacted to the threat to the outside of his shoulder pads.t<\/p>\n

That was just the preview, though, and the next motion from the\u00a0Texans\u2019\u00a0<\/a>star defensive end would completely discombobulate Sewell\u2019s mind and center of gravity.<\/p>\n

Hunter attacked the gap between the tackle and offensive guard with his right cleat, causing Sewell to shuffle his feet and hands toward his left. Once Hunter got him to commit, Sewell was absolute toast as he left him flailing at the line of scrimmage.<\/p>\n

A twitchy spin move back to the outside, around Sewell and a smack on the back with his hand while propelling his momentum into the backfield made the veteran blocker look silly. And it created immediate, present danger for Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Hunter collapsed the pocket and crashed into Goff as he released the football on a pass that was nearly intercepted.<\/p>\n

Checkmate. Another chess match won by Hunter, who combines athleticism with his intellect as a deep thinker who envisions success and practices his moves until they\u2019re razor-sharp.<\/p>\n

\u201cI shake my head every play that I\u2019m lining up next to this dude who looks like a mannequin and plays like he\u2019s running track,\u201d Texans defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr said. \u201cYou go off him and he\u2019s going to lead you the ball. He sets it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hunter has emerged as the master of the Euro step pass rushing move and many other strategies that have befuddled opposing linemen and the quarterbacks they\u2019re paid handsomely to protect.<\/p>\n

Although he\u2019s a defensive lineman who represents the prototype for an NFL pass rusher, Hunter has a smooth, loose way of getting after the quarterback. His body-fat percentage is lower than most cornerbacks and wide receivers.<\/p>\n

What was that move?<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s actually a jab step,\u201d Hunter told KPRC 2. \u201cThat\u2019s just something I\u2019ve been doing over the years. I\u2019ve kind of perfected it, almost perfected it. I\u2019m still trying to work on it. It comes with pass rushing, setting up your opponents, setting up your tackles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018He looks like a robot, a new Transformer, Terminator,\u2019 Texans pass rusher Danielle Hunter dominant against Steelers<\/a><\/p>\n

With a super humble approach to football and life, Hunter doesn\u2019t beat his chest with pride.<\/p>\n

At 6-foot-5, 263 pounds, the four-time Pro Bowl selection has run the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds with a 36 1\/2 inch vertical leap, a 10-10 broad jump and has bench pressed 225 pounds 25 times. He has every physical trait an NFL team could cover in a pass rusher.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s the Euro step, spin move, cross-chop, bull-rush, swim move or just a pure speed rush, Hunter is a dominant force whatever move he chooses to employ on any given snap. He\u2019s at the peak of his game and physical ability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like he\u2019s a unique, unique athlete,\u201d Wright said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019ve ever seen a guy like him. He\u2019s one of a kind. There\u2019s nothing that man can not do. If he can\u2019t do. I remember one day, we had a deal where at the end of practice, you toss the ball to one of the guys and see if he can get it to the end zone. They tossed it to Danielle and we\u2019re all like, \u2018Oh, man, this is going to be awful.\u2019 And he launches it like 60 yards. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just like, of course, this dude can do everything. He\u2019s one of a kind, honestly. I love that a lot of people don\u2019t talk about him. No disrespect to anybody that has a podcast or has that type of involvement in social media, but that does help you. If he had all of that, he\u2019d be all over the place. But that\u2019s not how he wants it. He doesn\u2019t want the attention. He wants the respect and he wants to win. I love that about him. There\u2019s a humbleness about him that speaks loudly to our group, to our team. So he\u2019s exactly who he needs to be and who we need him to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson spoke with great clarity and confidence, a man who knows what he wants who\u2019s earning a generational-wealth contract on the horizon.<\/p>\n

While that will obviously be an expensive undertaking, it\u2019s an investment the Texans are expected to embrace. And Anderson, a former Crimson Tide consensus All-American, is more than open to negotiating with the AFC South playoff squad.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost definitely, I want to be here the rest of my career honestly,\u201d Anderson told KPRC 2. \u201cAs long as I can be here, that\u2019s what I want, to be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Texans are building a strong track record of taking care of their homegrown talent.<\/p>\n

The Texans negotiated a three-year, $90 million extension for All-Pro corner Derek Stingley Jr., a former third overall pick from LSU, earlier this offseason that makes him the highest paid cornerback in the NFL in terms of new money.<\/p>\n

The Texans briefly made Jalen Pitre the highest paid nickel in the NFL with a three-year, $42 million extension.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose guys, they deserve it,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cThey work really hard. They put a lot of hard work into their craft. And you see it on Sundays, and I\u2019m excited to be part of that team building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of where the Texans wind up with Anderson in contract talks, he\u2019s extremely enthused and focused about the outlook for a top-ranked defense.<\/p>\n

“Man, the biggest thing is not deviating from the swarm mentality,” Anderson said. \u201cWe have a bunch of alpha dogs.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Texans drafted Anderson, the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year was acquired after general manager Nick Caserio executed a trade with the Arizona Cardinals that included a pair of first-round draft picks in exchange for the third overall spot.<\/p>\n

Wright was there politicking a bit, hoping the Texans would land a coveted prospect in Anderson.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, I was upstairs,\u201d Wright said. \u201cI was doing as much politicking as I can to make sure something happened, just trying to stay around to see what\u2019s going on. When they told me that we were getting them, I was like a kid in a candy store.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember me and my family went to the rodeo, and I\u2019m around all these animals. And then it flashed on social media, on ESPN, all the apps. And I\u2019m just walking around with the biggest smile on my face with my wife. I was super, super happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HOUSTON \u2013 From his unique vantage point, Rod Wright witnesses it all unfolding in front of him. Standing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":680095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2056],"tags":[99364,6047,7,221,253,2368,249,6,99363,222,33781,6051],"class_list":{"0":"post-680094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-houston-texans","8":"tag-alief","9":"tag-danielle-hunter","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-houston","12":"tag-houston-texans","13":"tag-houstontexans","14":"tag-new-england-patriots","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-rod-wright","17":"tag-texans","18":"tag-university-of-texas","19":"tag-will-anderson-jr"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115901014181669408","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=680094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/680094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/680095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=680094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=680094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=680094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}