HOUSTON – The Texans will be well-represented at the annual NFL Honors awards.
Texans coach DeMeco Ryans, quarterback C.J. Stroud, defensive end Will Anderson Jr. and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik are all finalists for the Associated Press NFL awards to be presented the night of Feb. 8 during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas.
Ryans, a two-time Texans Pro Bowl linebacker and former NFL Assistant Coach of the Year who engineered a dramatic turnaround from a 3-13-1 squad to 11-8, winning the AFC South championship and winning a playoff game, is up for NFL Coach of the Year. The other finalists are Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
Slowik, who turned around one of the worst offenses in the NFL and was instrumental in Stroud’s development, is a finalist for NFL Assistant Coach of the Year along with Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Stroud led the NFL in passing yards per game, touchdowns-to-interceptions ratio, became the youngest player in NFL history to win a playoff game, surpassing Michael Vick and passed for 4,168 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions during the regular season. He’s a finalist for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year along with Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions tight end Sam LaPorta, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson,
Anderson, drafted third overall, set a franchise rookie record with seven sacks and had 67 pressures. He is a finalist for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year along with Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Pittsburgh Steelers corner Joey Porter Jr., Seattle Seahawks corner Devon Witherspoon and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner.
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790
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