Coaches | Houston Texans - HoustonTexans.com

Rod Wright enters his second season with the Houston Texans and first as the team's defensive line coach after originally joining the club as the assistant defensive line coach in 2023. He previously owns 13 years of collegiate coaching experience.

Rod Wright enters his second season with the Houston Texans and first as the team's defensive line coach after originally joining the club as the assistant defensive line coach in 2023. He previously owns 13 years of collegiate coaching experience.

In 2023, Wright assisted coaching a Texans defensive line unit that finished sixth-best in the league in rush defense, holding their opponents to just 96.6 rushing yards per game after finishing last in the league in 2022. The defense also allowed just 3.51 rushing yards per attempt, marking the second-best in the league. Under Wright, the Texans' defense finished the regular season with 46.0 sacks, setting a new franchise record for most sacks in a season, and recorded 105 tackles for loss, which was the second-best mark in the league. Rookie DE Will Anderson Jr. finished the regular season with 7.0 sacks, which set a new rookie franchise record for most sacks in a season, and notched 67 pressures, leading all rookies this season. Anderson also earned his first career Pro Bowl honor and was named the 2023 PFWA and AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. DT Maliek Collins had a career-best season, notching new career highs in total tackles (41) and quarterback hits (18), while tying his career-high in sacks (5.0). DE Jonathan Greenard's career-high 12.5 sacks on the season marked the sixth-most in a single season in franchise history and the fourth-year defensive end was one-of-four players in the NFL to post four games with at least 2.0 sacks. His 12.5 sacks were tied for tenth in the league with Montez Sweat. Additionally, DT Sheldon Rankins recorded 37 tackles (29 solo), nine tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, 6.0 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery that was returned for a touchdown this season, marking the first fumble return for a touchdown by a Texan since Jadeveon Clowney at Indianapolis on 9/30/18. Rankins logged half of his 6.0 sacks in Week 10 at Cincinnati, marking a new single game career-high and becoming the sixth Texans player to record 3.0 sacks in a single game since J.J. Watt on 9/23/18 vs. the Giants.

Wright arrived in Houston after coaching the defensive ends at the University of Miami in 2022. While at Miami, Wright helped DL Akheem Mesidor and DL Jahfari Harvery to productive seasons, with the two recording 7.0 sacks and 5.5 sacks, respectively. The Hurricanes ranked No. 11 nationally in total sacks (37.0) and sacks per game (3.08), while also ranking No. 19 in tackles for loss per game (7).

Wright spent the 2019-2021 seasons on the coaching staff at UTSA, serving as the Roadrunners' co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in 2021. He was UTSA's defensive line coach in 2019 before being promoted to run game coordinator/defense line coach in 2020.

In his first season as co-defensive coordinator at UTSA in 2021, Wright helped the Roadrunners create 25 takeaways to rank 10th in the nation, finishing with the 14th-best rushing defense (114.7) in the country and recording 14 fumble recoveries, which was the fourth-most in the nation. The defense recorded 88 tackles for loss on the year, including a then-best school-record 33.0 sacks with first-team all-conference performer LB Clarence Hicks setting the pace with a former program-record 10.5 sacks.

Wright helped guide UTSA to several single-game program records in 2021. The Roadrunners posted the first two shutouts in school history with a 54-0 rout of Lamar and a 45-0 blanking of Rice in which UTSA limited the Owls to 102 total yards, the fewest allowed in a game. For the season, the defense held four opponents to fewer than 200 yards. Seven teams failed to gain 100 yards on the ground and three offenses posted 52 or fewer passing yards against the Roadrunners. The defense helped UTSA to a 12-2 record in 2021, the most wins and best winning percentage (.857) in program history. The Roadrunners won their first conference title with a 49-41 victory over Western Kentucky University in the C-USA Championship Game, were nationally ranked (as high as No. 15) for the first time and made their second straight and third overall bowl appearance when they met San Diego State in the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl.

In 2020, Wright helped coordinate the UTSA defense during the last two months of the season. UTSA led C-USA in sacks (25.0), tackles for loss (85), interceptions (11), takeaways (19) and turnover margin (+7). The Roadrunners ranked in the top-30 nationally in five categories — 19th in turnovers gained, 23rd in passes intercepted, 25th in fumbles recovered (8), 26th in turnover margin and 29th in tackles for loss per game (7.1).

In his first year with the Roadrunners, Wright's defensive line helped UTSA break three of the program's single-season records and one single-game mark. UTSA led Conference USA and ranked sixth nationally in tackles for loss per game. The Roadrunners also eclipsed the program's single-game tackle for loss record with 12 in the season finale against Louisiana Tech. Three of Wright's defensive linemen were named honorable mention All-Conference USA.

Wright, a former All-America defensive lineman at Texas, joined UTSA after a stint at East Carolina, where he was the Pirates' defensive line coach for the 2018 season. The defense broke the American Athletic Conference single-game record for tackles for loss with 15 against Old Dominion and eclipsed the school and league single-season marks with 105 tackles for loss that season.

Under his tutelage at East Carolina University, DE Nate Harvey was named AAC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Conference after posting 63 tackles, 25.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Harvey broke the school and AAC single-season tackle for loss record and also matched the conference single-season sacks standard in 2018.

Prior to his time at East Carolina, Wright spent four years at Sam Houston State. During his tenure, the Bearkats posted a 46-12 overall record, a 31-4 Southland Conference mark, reached the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoffs three times and the quarterfinals in another year. He also helped Sam Houston State to a pair of conference titles and top-five national ranking all four seasons. Under Wright, DL P.J. Hall earned a spot on more than 10 All-America teams, including the Associated Press squad. He was a three-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is symbolic of FCS Defensive Player of the Year honors. He ranked among the nation's top 10 with 19.0 tackles for loss as a senior and finished his career with a school-and FCS-record 85.5 tackles for loss before being selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Wright was invited to participate in the prestigious NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship during the summers of 2016 and 2017, observing and learning in camp with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, respectively. Prior to joining the Sam Houston State staff in February 2014, Wright worked a combined three seasons as a student assistant and as a defensive special assistant for the University of Texas beginning in 2011.

A standout defensive lineman for Texas from 2002 to 2005, Wright collected All-America and All-Big 12 honors, playing a key role to help the Longhorns capture the 2005 BCS National Championship at the Rose Bowl. Overall, he enjoyed seven bowl appearances as either a player or coach with the Longhorns. He was named 2002 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and was a first-team selection for both the Football Writers Association of America and Sporting News Freshman All-America units.

Wright was a two-time winner of the Longhorns' Outstanding Defensive Lineman Award in 2003 and 2004 and he earned all-conference honors in each of his final three seasons. He was a Lombardi Award finalist and an AP and Walter Camp First Team All-American in 2005.

Drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2006, Wright played four years in the NFL with the franchise, later suiting up for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and the Dallas Vigilantes of the Arena Football League. As a prep athlete at Alief Hastings High School in Houston, he was a Parade All-American and an all-state performer.
Wright earned a bachelor's degree in education from Texas in 2011. He attended Alief Hastings High School in Southwest Houston, Texas.

A Houston, Texas, native, Wright is married to his wife Kara. They have three sons, Elijah and twins Kendrique and Kamden. Wright's uncle, Elmo Wright, ranks second in touchdown receptions (34) and fourth in career receiving yards (3,347) at the University of Houston, and was a first-round pick for the Kansas City Chiefs in 1971.

Pro Bowl Players Coached (1): DE Will Anderson Jr. (2023)