HOUSTON – – Every fan in attendance at NRG Stadium had heard the announcement during the week of the return of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud to the lineup in Week 17 against the Tennessee Titans. He missed the previous two games due to being placed in NFL concussion protocol following a vicious hit he took at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets when his head bounced off the turf.
What kept the Texans fans on edge pregame and raised their sports anxiety was waiting on a particular name to be absent from the game’s inactive list. They breathed a sigh of relief when rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.’s name did not appear on the list, making him eligible to return on Sunday.
Just like Stroud, Anderson was also removed from the Jets game on Dec. 10 when he suffered a high ankle sprain after his cleat got stuck in the maligned turf at MetLife Stadium, which has been deemed one of the worst stadiums to play by former and current players.
Even though he did not start and was on a limited snap count, Anderson made the best of his time in the game, torturing offensive linemen and causing chaos and confusion for the Titans quarterbacks. He had back-to-back sacks late in the second quarter to help keep Tennessee from reaching the end zone before the half, limiting the Titans to a field goal, which would be their only score of the day.
Anderson finished the game with two sacks, two tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and six quarterback pressures.
“It was the hardest,” Anderson responded when asked how tough the last couple of weeks had been for him. “I’m like aaah! I’m the type, when I’m watching ball, especially when I’m on the team, I get very anxious. I want to be out there.” #Texans #Sarge #TexansWire pic.twitter.com/8teRdRaA6V
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) January 1, 2024
With his two-sack performance, the former two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year set the Texans’ single-season rookie record for sacks with seven with one game remaining in the regular season, surpassing Whitney Mercilus (2012) and Brooks Reed (2011), who each had six sacks in their rookie seasons.
“None of this happens without those guys in the [defensive] line room,” said Anderson about setting the Texans rookie sack record. “I give all glory to God for blessing me to be a part of this team, blessing me to be a part of the [defensive] line that we have here, and just the guys that’s in the room. When I’m down, they pick me right back up.”
“They always say, ‘You’re a leader, you’re having a good year regardless of what anybody has to say, any of the haters have to say.’ They always keep me grounded and make sure I’m staying focused on the right things. I’ve got to give a big shout-out to those guys because without them, without God placing them in my life, I don’t even think I would be here right now where I’m at.”
During his time away from the game, Anderson had time to reflect on his rookie season and how he could improve when he was cleared to be back on the field. Not being able to compete with his brothers was difficult, especially with the Texans in the running to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
“It was the hardest,” Anderson responded when asked how tough the last couple of weeks had been for him. “I’m like aaah! I’m the type, when I’m watching ball, especially when I’m on the team, I get very anxious. I want to be out there. I’ve got to be out there. It was very hard to turn on some of the games and watch the games because I want to be out there. Then again, I’m supporting my [brothers] and everything like that.”
“Like I said, I think it’s all about being a pro and learning how to be a pro. These last two weeks have been really good mentally. And, of course, physically getting my ankle right and resting my body.”
“None of this happens without those guys in the [defensive] line room,” said Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. about breaking the Texans rookie sack record. None of this happens. When I'm down, they pick me right back up. They always say you're a leader, man.” #Texans #Sarge pic.twitter.com/em2i8bFkcE
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) January 1, 2024
Although he knew he would not be fully healthy coming into the game on Sunday, Anderson wanted to do whatever it took to help the team, which was a similar situation he faced during his sophomore season at Alabama. Anderson took a helmet to the knee during a game against Mercer in the third quarter, had to exit the game, and did not return. He was questionable heading into the following game against the Florida Gators, which required a sit down with head coach Nick Saban.
“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to play that week,” said Anderson. “They were talking about surgery and all this other stuff. I remember Coach Saban sat me in his office, and he’s just like nobody is 100 percent right now at this time. Everybody is banged up. I know you’ve got your injury going on. He was like, ‘It just shows you’re a warrior. It shows what type of competitor you are.’ Those are the type of moments that you never forget, and you go out there and ball out for your brothers and everything like that, and God is taking care of you.”
The warrior inside of Anderson led him to SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Gators despite playing through pain. The third overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft may not garner the same type of honors from the NFL this week, but he knows how valuable his return to the lineup was for the Texans.
“For me, that’s all I was thinking about this week was just like how can I be a warrior,” Anderson told reporters after the game. “How can I be a competitor? Trust in God, knowing that he makes no mistakes. Everything happens for a reason. My brothers have got my back, and I’ve got their back. That’s just where I kind of was going into this week.”
