Home » Sports » NFL » Tennessee Titans

Texans make major defensive change before Titans matchup, and it’s the exact opposite of the move that saved their 2025 season

DeMeco Ryans and the Texans are 0-4 and desperate for a spark before facing Robert Saleh’s Titans. Houston has been in this exact spot before, and the history is hard to ignore.

Yardbarker

Published: Thursday, 8 October 2026 at 6:14 PM

Key Things to Know

DeMeco Ryans will resume defensive play-calling for the Houston Texans, replacing defensive coordinator Matt Burke.
The change comes as the winless 0-4 Texans prepare to play the 0-4 Tennessee Titans in Week 5.
Ryans had previously handed defensive play-calling duties to Burke early in the 2025 NFL season.

The Story in 60 Seconds

Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans announced he is taking over defensive play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Matt Burke ahead of Week 5. The winless Texans sit at 0-4 as they prepare for an AFC South matchup against the Tennessee Titans. The decision reverses a move from the 2025 season, when Ryans handed play-calling responsibilities to Burke under similar winless circumstances.

A to Z Sports notes that Houston turned its previous season around following that initial switch, finishing with the top scoring defense and reaching the playoffs. The upcoming contest pits Ryans against Titans head coach Robert Saleh, under whom Ryans previously coached with the San Francisco 49ers.

Read the full article on Yardbarker