HOUSTON — On the Tuesday before the Houston Texans played the Dallas Cowboys, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. received a message from cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso.
Vasso relayed coach DeMeco Ryans’ game plan to his top cornerback. It would indicate that Stingley would follow All-Pro player CeeDee Lamb for the Week 11 game.
But following the opposing team’s top receivers is nothing new for Stingley, according to the third-year cornerback. He understands that’s amplified when the assignment is against a high-profile player, but he knows that to be considered an upper-echelon cornerback, “you have to be consistent to win” against top-tier receivers. And he responds to the challenge.
In the Texans’ Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears, he followed DJ Moore and limited him to four catches for 52 yards with one interception. In the Texans’ only 2023 playoff win against the Cleveland Browns, he lined up opposite Amari Cooper on 35 routes and allowed no catches on a target.
The Texans’ 34-10 win over the Cowboys on Monday was no different for Stingley.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush started in place of Dak Prescott, who was out for the year (hamstring), and Lamb finished with 93 receiving yards. But he shared the same fate as Cooper and Moore when he lined up against Stingley.
They matched up on 17 routes and Stingley allowed two catches for 19 yards with two pass deflections and an interception. He even caused offensive pass interference as Lamb caught him in the end zone to prevent another interception.
When Stingley learns he’s following an elite receiver, it excites him. It reminds him of his childhood, where he wanted to be a cornerback who could be like former New York Jets All-Pro Darrelle Revis – who received the nickname “Revis Island” because he shadowed and shut down leading receivers .
“When I think back to when I was little, I saw Revis doing that, so to be in that position is kind of crazy,” Stingley told ESPN. “It feels good because I won’t have to worry about my dad picking on me after the game.”
Stingley has 12 completions (tied for second in the NFL) and has been a catalyst for Houston’s pass defense, which ranks sixth in yards allowed per game (188.3). But his advanced numbers are even better.
Among cornerbacks with at least 200 coverage snaps, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 61.8 when targeting Stingley (eighth lowest) according to Next Gen Stats. Among cornerbacks who were targeted at least 50 times, he allowed the lowest completion percentage (47.5%) and fewest yards per target (5.5 yards).
Ryans said Stingley “made a lot of big plays for” the Texans as he put together a string of impressive games. But whenever he sees the former No. 3 overall pick shutting down opposing receivers, he’s never surprised.
“There’s nothing I didn’t know before with Stingley,” Ryans told ESPN. “He’s having a good year. He’s been productive. We’ve put him in a lot of different positions. He’s just playing at a high level right now.”
One of Stingley’s standout performances came in the Texans’ 21-13 loss to the Jets in Week 10. Stingley had no help at safety, but was tasked with covering a trio of former 1,000-yard receivers include former All-Pro Davante Adams, Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams. On 31 carries against them, Stingley allowed just three catches for 22 yards on eight targets.
The only thing that bothers Stingley is the dropped interceptions. He played in 11 games last season and had five interceptions. Through 11 games this season, he is currently in two, but jokes about why he gave them up.
“People are going to say ‘these are just excuses to catch the ball,’ which is absolutely true, but I have legitimate reasons,” Stingley said with a laugh. “One of them, my towel was on my face for some strange reason. I don’t know how it happened. The [Detroit] For the Lions, I tripped a little just before jumping and then lost the ball. One of them up the middle against the Cowboys, my dad said I should have gotten that one. But seriously, everyone is picking on me because they see what I can do.”
Stingley admitted he just needs to catch them, and the next opponent will be the Tennessee Titans and quarterback Will Levis, who threw eight interceptions in seven games on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Whether or not he will travel with Calvin Ridley next Sunday remains to be seen, as Ryans won’t show his hand, but if he does, it’s another challenge Stingley will accept.
