Texans rookie coach DeMeco Ryans has Houston eyeing playoff return two years after trading troubled franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson

When DeMeco Ryans returned to where it all began, there was a buzz about the  Texans. But few expected this young team to be competitive so soon.

The former linebacker is a hero in Houston. Drafted in 2006, he made an instant impact on an expansion team — the NFL's youngest after its foundation in 2002 — and quickly picked up the nickname 'Cap'. 

He went on to be named defensive rookie of the year. Such was his command of the defense and desire to lead by example that he inspired a unit and a city. In 2011, his final season with the Texans, Houston made the playoffs for the first time.

Ryans has also had an immediate impact in his first year as head coach. And the stars are aligning for a return to the postseason.

The Texans haven't won more than four games a season since 2019, and toiled under one-and done head coaches David Culley and Lovie Smith, whose 3-13 in 2022 paved the way for a change.

After finishing his playing career in 2015, Ryans learned the ropes under the great Kyle Shanahan, spending six years in San Francisco; the final two as defensive coordinator. 

He shaped the 49ers defense into a fearsome unit, the NFL's No 1-ranked last season. In a crowded room at his unveiling in February, Ryans said: 'To the players that are here, the current players, I can't wait to get started.

'I can't wait to get started with you guys. I'm fired up. This is a young team. We're on the cusp. We got to add some pieces to what we're doing here, but I'm so excited to get started and get to work with the young guys, and get to work building a winning program with the Texans.

'And I'm fired up. The excitement is real, and I can't wait to get to work, to get to  coaching. We want to bring a winning team. That's what we want to bring to Houston.'

It is easy to sound motivated in such surrounds, but after Sunday's win over  Cincinnati the Texans are 5-4 and nicely poised for a wild card spot.

They have won in many ways, beating teams with winning records and sealing close games.

Their season has been enhanced by two factors: the trade in March 2022 which saw troubled quarterback Deshaun Watson join Cleveland in exchange for vast draft capital — including first round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024 — as well as recent draft success.

Watson — who did not play for the entire 2021 season after sexual misconduct allegations against him and forced a trade out of Houston — has only played 12 games for Cleveland after signing a deal worth $230million guaranteed.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but the deal is getting worse by the day. Watson was banned for the first 11 games of last season. And after his only statement win in a Browns shirt during Sunday's dramatic, 33-31 come-from-behind victory over Baltimore, he was ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.

It means the future looks even brighter for Houston. While Cleveland have a Super Bowl defense, without their starting quarterback they are likely to fall away from the playoff race in a hugely competitive conference and division.

And the worse they are, the better the first round draft pick for the Texans next year. After a strong draft class in 2022, the Texans played a blinder this year too. Picking second and third overall, the Texans saw Alabama quarterback Bryce Young taken by the Carolina Panthers.

Ohio State's CJ Stroud fell into their laps and defensive end Will Anderson followed. It is too soon to write Young off — he has yet to live up to the hype — as the woeful Panthers have numerous holes, among them the offensive line and wide receiver, and there are struggles with play calling.

But Stroud has no such issues. With Ryans keeping the pressure off his franchise quarterback ('I'm not asking a guy to come in and be this savior for our team. We're asking him to come in and put his head down and just work,' he said), Stroud is flourishing.

His 2,626 passing yards are the third-highest through a rookie's first nine starts. Only Justin Herbert (2,699 in 2020) and Andrew Luck (2,631 in 2012) have thrown more.

If he continues at this pace, Stroud is on course to throw for almost 5,000 yards and is a shoo-in for offensive rookie of the year — and possibly more. Houston legend JJ Watt — who played a role in Ryans' appointment — told the Pat McAfee Show: 'They have got a franchise quarterback now who not only plays the game at an unbelievably high level who has legitimately put himself in the MVP conversation.

'When you have that and the head coach who's extremely smart, diligent, young head coach who's leading the team & the city the right way. You put these pieces together — it's an unbelievably exciting time.'

Sure is. Houston (5-3) are a game behind the Jaguars (6-3), but the race for the AFC South is about to get interesting.

The Texans' next six games are home against Arizona, Jacksonville and Denver and then on the road at the Jets, Titans and the Watson-less Browns. That soft schedule is certainly something to be fired up about.