HOUSTON -- The Tuesday before the Houston Texans faced the Dallas Cowboys, cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. got a text from cornerbacks coach Dino Vasso.
Vasso was relaying coach DeMeco Ryans' gameplan to their top cornerback. It would state that Stingley would be following All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb for the Week 11 matchup.
But following opposing team's top receivers isn't anything new for Stingley, according to the third-year cornerback. He understands it gets magnified when the assignment is against a high-profile player, but he knows to be considered an upper echelon cornerback "you got to be consistent with winning" against top-tier receivers. And he answers the challenge.
In the Texans' Week 2 win over the Chicago Bears, he followed wideout DJ Moore and limited him to four catches for 52 yards with an interception. In the Texans' lone 2023 playoff win over the Cleveland Browns, he lined up across from wideout Amari Cooper for 35 routes and allowed zero catches on one target.
The Texans' 34-10 win over the Cowboys on Monday was no different for Stingley.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush started in place of Dak Prescott, who's out for the year (hamstring), and Lamb finished with 93 receiving yards. But he shared the same fate as Cooper and Moore when he lined up opposite Stingley.
They matched up for 17 routes, and Stingley allowed two catches for 19 yards with two pass deflections and an interception. He even drew an offensive pass interference as Lamb grabbed him in the end zone to prevent another interception.
When Stingley gets the news about following an elite receiver, it excites him. It reminds him of his childhood, where he wanted to be a cornerback that could be like former New York Jets All-Pro Darrelle Revis -- who drew the nickname "Revis Island" because he followed and shut down premier receivers.
"When I think back to when I was a little kid seeing Revis doing that then being in that position is kind of crazy," Stingley told ESPN. "It feels good because then I ain't gotta worry about my dad getting on me after the game."
Stingley has 12 pass breakups (tied for second most in the NFL), and he's been a catalyst for Houston's pass defense, which ranks sixth in yards allowed per game (188.3). But his advanced numbers are even better.
Among cornerbacks with at least 200 coverage snaps, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 61.8 when targeting Stingley (eighth lowest) according to Next Gen Stats. Among cornerbacks who've been targeted at least 50 times, he's allowed the lowest completion percentage (47.5%) and the fewest yards per target (5.5 yards).
Ryans said Stingley has "made a lot of big-time plays for" the Texans as he's putting together a string of impressive games. But whenever he sees the former No. 3 overall pick shutting opposing receivers down, he is never surprised.
"It's nothing I didn't know before with Stingley," Ryans told ESPN. "He's having a good year. He's been productive. We put him in a lot of different positions. He's just playing at a high level right now."
One of Stingley's noteworthy performances came in the Texans' 21-13 loss to the Jets in Week 10. Stingley had no safety help but was tasked with covering a trio of former 1,000-yard receivers in former All-Pro Davante Adams, Garrett Wilson and Mike Williams. In 31 routes against them, Stingley only allowed three catches for 22 yards on eight targets.
The one thing Stingley kicks himself about is the dropped interceptions. He played 11 games last season and had five interceptions. Through 11 games this season, he currently sits at two, but jokes about his reasons why he's dropped them.
"People are gonna say 'these just excuses just catch the ball' which is very true, but I have legitimate reasons," Stingley said while laughing. "One of them, my towel was in my face for some strange reason. I don't know how that happened. The [Detroit] Lions' one I had a little stumble right before I jumped then I lost the ball. One of them across the middle against the Cowboys, my dad said I should have had that one. But on a serious note everybody gets on me because they see what I can do."
Stingley did concede that he just has to catch them, and next up is the Tennessee Titans and quarterback Will Levis, who's thrown eight interceptions in seven games, on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Whether or not he will travel with Calvin Ridley come Sunday still remains to be seen, as Ryans won't show his hand, but if he does, it's another challenge that Stingley will accept.
