Ryans excited to 'hit reset' after Texans' step forward in 2023

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans isn't resting on the success he enjoyed during the 2023 season as he prepares his club for the 2024 campaign.

"The most exciting thing, what I love about the NFL is it doesn't matter what happened last year," Ryans said during an interview at the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame ceremony, according to NFL.com's Kevin Patra. "You get to hit reset. To start back from ground zero, I love that, going back to our Day 1 fundamentals, installs, and seeing guys truly grow."

Ryans led the Texans to a 10-7 regular-season record before picking up a postseason victory over the Cleveland Browns in his first season as a head coach. The former linebacker took over the club after spending two years as the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator.

The Texans' playoff run was halted in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round. But despite last season's step forward, Ryans has focused on getting his team ready for tough contests every week.

"People talk about how exciting of a year it was," Ryans said. "But I throw up a stat to our guys this offseason, like, 'Look, I know we won some games, but guys, look, we had 10 games within one score, and these games were down to the wire and we had to find a way at the end.' That doesn't change. That's the NFL."

While the 39-year-old is hoping for better things in 2024, he remains thankful for last season.

"That football season, 2023, is one I'll always remember," Ryans said. "Getting C.J. (Stroud) and getting Will (Anderson) and Tank (Dell), so many young guys who contributed to flipping that culture in such a short period of time. ... I'm very excited to have those guys and to work with those guys and to have the year that we had."