The toughest time of the year for a new head coach is making roster cuts for the first time.
General manager Nick Caserio is a veteran of cutdown day because this is his 23rd year in the NFL, including his third as the Texans’ general manager. But this is DeMeco Ryans’ first year as a head coach, and he talks to players who’ve been placed on waivers, released or traded.
“It’s a tough day – sensitive,” Ryans said this week. “It’s a delicate situation for a lot of guys. You want to tell guys to keep working, continue to dream. Hopefully, they have the opportunity to make another 53-man roster or make a practice squad. That’s in my message to those guys.”
Needless to say, telling a player he’s getting let go is an uncomfortable but necessary part of a coach’s job. No matter how much he doesn’t like doing it, he knows it’s part of his job.
“With the group we’ve had, guys that have been with us from OTAs (and) through training camp, I appreciate their work ethic and how much work (they) put in for us,” Ryans said. “I don’t take that lightly.
“Our guys have done a great job of doing what we’ve asked them to do. We’ve asked them to work hard each day. They didn’t complain, they just worked. It’ll be a hard few days having to let guys go because I know the work these men have put in.”
Waivers are for players who haven’t accrued at least four seasons to become vested veterans. Vested veterans get a released designation. They can sign with any team if they don’t want to play for the team that claims them.
For the first time, there’s one cutdown date. The deadline for rosters to be reduced to 53 is 3 p.m. Tuesday. The Texans are second behind Chicago when it comes to making waiver claims because they finished with the NFL’s second-worst record last season.
“Having Nick and his staff, the way they work, they’ve been outstanding,” Ryans said. “They’ve done a really good job of knowing the entire league, not just knowing our roster, but knowing where we can get better, knowing where we can add depth. Taking that collective approach has been good for us.
“They’ve been doing an excellent job of looking at other rosters and trying to predict who may be released (and) if those guys can help add value to our roster. It takes a team working together when it comes to that.”
When players clear waivers, they can be signed to the 16-player practice squad. Expect most of the Texans’ practice squad to be made up of players who were on their training camp roster.
When Ryans tells a player he’s being let go, he makes sure to explain that the Texans would like to bring them back on the practice squad if they clear waivers.
“If that’s true, we’ll tell guys if we have an opportunity on the practice squad for them,” he said. “If not, we want to be honest with them in this very hard situation. If we have practice squad availability, we’ll let them know. If not, we’ll let them know that as well.”
The bottom of the roster as well as the practice squad have players coming and going throughout camp, preseason and regular season. Anytime a team has a new head coach with new offensive and defensive coordinators, there always are surprises. Because Ryans spent his first six seasons as a coach for the 49ers, fans should keep an eye on players dumped by San Francisco, especially those on defense.
As the defensive coordinator for the 49ers the last two seasons, Ryans played a significant role in making recommendations leading up to personnel decisions on cutdown day. Now he’s getting input from his assistants.
“It’s important for me as we build a team to have input from everyone, and no one knows a player more than their position coaches,” he said. “They spend the most time with those guys, so they know them, and I rely heavily on their opinions and what they think about the guys.
“Coaches’ input is very valuable. I don’t take it lightly. Coaches will always have input as long as I’m around because I know they put a lot of work in, and no one cares more about their position than that position coach. I think they’re vital to us seeing it from every angle we could possibly see it, having the coaches, the scouts, myself (and) Nick looking at it.”
Caserio and Ryans began making cuts on Monday when they let go of veterans like cornerback Desmond King II, defensive tackle Roy Lopez and linebacker Christian Kirksey. Kirksey and Lopez had fallen behind because of injuries and became expendable. King was a surprise because he played in 33 games in his two seasons in Houston, including 25 starts.
“We’re always looking to improve our roster,” Ryans said. “If that’s someone who’s at another club, we’re always looking to do that. I think that’s an ongoing process throughout the entire season. You’re always looking to better the back end of your roster, and that drives the competition to make guys in front of them better. That’s always something we’ll be pushing for.”
(John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on Sports Radio 610 and before every practice during training camp on Texans Radio. He also writes three columns a week and does two Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.)
Related
