Texans land Marvin Harrison Jr. after first win, aiming for a quick impact

HOUSTON (AP) — C.J. Stroud had another strong game Sunday to lead the Houston Texans to their first win.

Now he and the Texans get a big boost with the addition of receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who was acquired in a trade with Arizona this weekend.

Stroud threw for 264 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to help the Texans to a 26-3 win over Tennessee on Sunday .

Stroud ranks third in the NFL with 1,402 yards passing and he’s attempted 185 passes without an interception to start the season.

“He’s doing a great job of protecting the football but also dishing the ball to multiple people,” coach DeMeco Ryans said Monday. “Really playing the plays confident. Offensive line has given him time to operate on schedule, and he’s doing a great job of just leading this offense. We continue to lean in on what he’s doing well and I can’t say enough great things about the season that he’s having thus far.”

Ryans said Harrison should arrive in Houston on Monday and they will try to get him acclimated quickly so he can help this week. He’s hoping that Harrison’s familiarity with Stroud from their time together at Ohio State will help ease the transition.

“I think anytime you have players who have spent time together, whether it’s college or other teams, just having that prior relationship definitely helps when you come into a new situation,” Ryans said.

Harrison was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 draft, but failed to live up to expectations in his time in Arizona. He had 885 yards receiving in 17 games as a rookie and 608 yards receiving in 12 games last season. But he had just five catches for 85 yards in the first four games this season before landing on the inactive list for Sunday’s game as the team looked to trade him.

“He’s another really great playmaker,” Ryans said. “He’s crushed a lot of college records. Got multiple 1,000-yard receiving seasons in college. All-American, always been a top receiver when he’s been on the field. He has good rapport with C.J. from their time at Ohio State. We’re excited to get him in, add another great player to our group.”

Harrison had more than 2,400 yards receiving and 28 touchdown receptions combined in his last two seasons with the Buckeyes. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Harrison gives the Texans another big receiver to play opposite star Nico Collins, who is 6-4 and 222 pounds.

Ryans said he isn’t worried about what happened with Harrison in Arizona and said he’ll start in Houston with a clean slate.

“That’s the great part of being a Houston Texan,” he said. “All the stuff that happened prior to you coming, it doesn’t matter. I don’t care what people say about you… if you focus on just being a great teammate, focus on helping the Houston Texans be great, then we’ll be just fine.”

Houston’s defense looked much better Sunday than it had in previous weeks with Ryans taking over play-calling from defensive coordinator Matt Burke. It was the first time since Week 4 of last season that the Texans did not allow a touchdown.

They held the Titans to just 187 total yards after allowing an average of 343.75 yards a game through the first four weeks. The unit also forced two turnovers Sunday after having just three combined entering the game.

The Texans continue to pile up penalties. They had 11 for 95 yards on Sunday after being flagged 13 times for 90 in a loss to the Cowboys last week.

“We have to get the penalties cleaned up,” Ryans said. “It’s not good enough at all for us ... if we want to continue to progress as a team, we have to clean up the penalties. You can’t hurt yourself.”

DE Will Anderson had another great game Sunday to lead the defense. The fourth-year player had three sacks, three quarterback hits and three tackles for loss.

Anderson’s 7 ½ sacks and 10 tackles for loss are both first in the NFL and he’s the only player this season to have at least 2 ½ sacks in multiple games.

“He’s the best defensive player right now on our team, probably in the NFL,” Ryans said. “He’s just everything you want. You talk about a guy who plays with passion, a guy who has this undeniable strain and relentlessness to him, that’s what Will exhibits every single time he lines up on the field.”

WR Kayshon Boutte hasn’t made much of an impact this season after being traded from New England in August after receiver Jayden Higgins sustained a season-ending knee injury. Boutte had just three receptions for 38 yards Sunday and has 153 yards receiving in five games this season.

Ryans said RB David Montgomery (groin) and S Jalen Pitre (shoulder) will be listed week to week with their injuries.

25 — Sunday’s win gave the Texans 25 wins in the series against Tennessee to take their first lead in the series, a 25-24 advantage.

The Texans face a big challenge this week with a trip to London to face the AFC South-leading Jaguars, who are 4-1.

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