The Houston Texans chose Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. with the third selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, and they haven’t been disappointed.
As a defensive end for the Texans, Anderson won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year awards presented by The Associated Press and the Pro Football Writers of America as Houston won seven more games — plus a playoff contest — in 2023 than it did in 2022.
But in his offseason evaluation of Year 1, the former Alabama All-American said he had seen much that he could improve for Year 2.
“I’m like, ‘Bro, what are you doing? Why were you doing that? Like, what were you thinking?’”NFL Network earlier this month. “I’m like, ‘Bro, I can’t watch this anymore.’ But really just working my pass rush, man, keeping half-a-man (drills), working the edge, working on getting extension at the top of my rush and just finishing on the quarterback with precision. Those are the top things I’ve really been working on and focusing on this offseason.”
In an appearance in Team Whistle’s “No Days Off” series, Anderson outlined what that phrase meant for his offseason. Houston concluded its offseason program on June 6, and Anderson and his teammates are off until reporting to training camp on July 17.
“Bigger, stronger, faster,” Anderson said. “How much faster can I be? How much bigger and stronger? All those things are what I’ve been working toward to have a really great season next year. What ‘no days off’ means to me, I would say, is every day is a productive day no matter what you’re doing. Every day is a day that you’re getting 1 percent better.”
Anderson said his training has changed since he entered the NFL.
“The parts of my training that I feel like are the most effective to help me with my career would probably be, like, mobility and flexibility,” Anderson said. “If I would have learned that back more in college and high school, I feel like I would be further ahead. That’s something that I’m really working towards this offseason to grow and help my game out a lot.
“Every day is a day that you’re growing and learning something that you didn’t know before. The core and the mobility and the flexibility part is really beneficial to lasting longer in this league.”
Anderson has spent part of this offseason working with Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, the 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
“I just learned how to take care of my body, what workouts to do to get towards my position and also small things like moves to do,”. “But I just got to see the way he works, how relentless he is, how he attacks workouts, everything like that.”
This offseason, the Texans signed Danielle Hunter in free agency to pair with Anderson as a pass-rusher on the other end of Houston’s defensive line. An eight-year veteran and four-time Pro Bowler, Hunter worked closely with Anderson during the offseason program.
“I’m very impressed by Will,” Hunter said. “Technically, he’s still a rookie, but it doesn’t seem like it. It feels like he’s, like, in Year 4 or 5 or 6. How he plays, how he carries himself — you don’t see that much in players who are Year 1 going into Year 2.”
Anderson’s offseason also included lending his star power to “USAA’s Huddle Up for Hurricane Prep,” intended to draw attention to the arrival of hurricane season and alert coastal residents to be prepared for it. Working with the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Houston to promote the message, Anderson also met with U.S. Coast Guard emergency responders who will be at work during the storms.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
