Houston Texans player compares environment to Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl team

After finishing with a total of 11 wins across 50 games over the past three seasons, the Houston Texans started over again this offseason. For the third time in three seasons, the front office hired a new head coach, with DeMeco Ryans taking over the locker room.

In addition to making a few potentially impactful signings in free agency, the Texans also added a couple of significant draft picks, including QB C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson with the second and third picks.

Another player to join the roster was wide receiver Robert Woods, who spent last season with the Tennessee Titans after being with the Los Angeles Rams from 2017 to 2021, including their Super Bowl LVI win. Woods signed a two-year, $15.2 million contract to join Houston, where he’s likely to operate as one of the team’s top-three receivers this season.

Robert Woods stats last season: 53 receptions, 527 yards, 2 TD

Most are overlooking the Texans as we get closer to the start of the 2023 season, but Woods, now an 11-year pro, says the football community shouldn’t take Houston lightly. Now or in the future. In fact, he sees a similar resemblance to the early days of the Rams as they began their ascent to the Super Bowl.

“I think a lot of hungry players, hungry coaches. I feel like this is a similar situation to when I came to L.A. with a young (Sean) McVay. Some say it was a rebuild. I feel like it was just a team buying into your coach, believing in the coach, believing in the system, and I think coach Ryans has that here. Got a lot of young players buying into this defense, into this culture, and we can change this environment.”
Houston Texans receiver Robert Woods on Houston Texans’ atmosphere

These feel like pretty bold claims from the 31-year-old coach. But he may be onto something here. The Rams won just four games in 2016, the year before Woods signed. They then took a leap to 11 wins in Woods’ first season with the team when coach McVay took over.

Now with coach Ryans looking to right the ship in Houston, could we see similar results? Woods certainly wouldn’t be surprised, but many others would be.