The Houston Texans got another stellar performance from former first-round draft pick and starting cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. in Week 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has not shied away from it, and the NFL is the latest entity to weigh in.
Stingley finished the contest with 2 total tackles and 2 pass deflections in the 36-29 comeback victory.
He also had an eye-popping interception that made a tremendous difference.
NFL Sends Message on Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr.
GettyDerek Stingley Jr. #24 of the Houston Texans looks on before the snap against the Denver Broncos.
The Texans selected Stingley with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 draft, and he earned his first Pro Bowl and First Team All-Pro nods in 2024. Stingley signed a three-year, $90 million contract extension in March.
Plays like his one-handed interception are why the Texans did not hesitate to extend him.
âDerek Stingleyâs one-handed interception flipped the momentum for the Texans [triumphant emoji],â the NFLâs X handle posted on November 11.
Stingley is now up to 21 total stops, 10 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions this season. His pick came at a pivotal time, keeping the Jaguars from taking on more points to their 20-10 lead before halftime.
The Jaguars scored 9 more points before the Texans got back on the scoreboard.
However, thanks to Stingley â who Next Gen Stats credited with allowing 1 reception for 9 yards on four targets â the Jaguars did not score again.
Derek Stingley Takes Victory Lap
GettyDerek Stingley Jr. #24 of the Houston Texans warms up before a game against the Carolina Panthers.
Stingley, who garnered Defensive Player of the Year attention and debuted at No. 18 on the NFLâs Top 100 list for 2025, was certainly proud of his performance in the Texansâ victory. He shared various messages from his NFL brethren in awe of his pick.
âHoly F!â âCorner Suite Podcastâ host former Texans DB Steven Nelson said in a post on X on November 9. âSting man [checkmark emoji].â
Another fellow NFL corner, Kelvin Joseph, posted a series of fire emojis, tagging Stingley.
âThere is nobody in Derek Stingleyâs realm right now as a cornerback in the NFL,â Former Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko said in his post on X, also sharing the clip. âHe has no peers.â
According to Pro Football Reference, Stingley is allowing a career-best mark of 41.9% completion on 43 targets in his coverage this season.
That is the best mark among all defenders to face at least as many targets, per Stathead.
Derek Stingley Gets Honest About Head-Turning Interception
GettyDerek Stingley Jr. #24 of the Houston Texans looks on against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Stingley spoke candidly about the excitement of the moment while he and the Texans celebrated in front of the home crowd. The Texans exacted revenge for their Week 3 loss to the Jaguars with the win, and they were without C.J Stroud in the contest.
Stingleyâs play kept hope alive while the Texansâ offense sorted itself out.
âI was just looking like, âOh, my God!ââ Stingley told Brian âBig Sargeâ Barefield after the game on November 9. âThe stadium, going crazy. Everybody screaming. Nah, it was crazy.â
Teammate and fellow corner Kamari Lassiter told reporters postgame that Stingley is âone of the greatest players I ever played with. 1-of-1. Go out there, dive, undercut the route, one-hand snag it. I didn’t get to see it because I was covered on the other side. But once I saw the replay, Iâm like, âBro, you gotta chill out, bro. You gotta chill out.â
To his credit, Lassiter was targeted once and did not allow a reception, getting one-up on Stingley in that regard.
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