Derek Stingley Jr. Stats: Career Stats, Records & Highlights

Derek Stingley Jr. has established himself as one of the premier defensive anchors in modern professional football.

Selected third overall in the first round of the 2022 draft by the Houston Texans, his career trajectory represents a case study in converting raw physical potential into elite, highly consistent on-field production.

Over his four active seasons, he has navigated early durability challenges to emerge as an iron-man cornerback, culminating in back-to-back 17-game seasons in 2024 and 2025.

This exhaustive profile provides an in-depth, quantitative analysis of his performance, leveraging official statistical metrics to assess his impact on the Houston Texans’ secondary.

Player Profile Overview

The physical and institutional metrics of Derek Stingley Jr. establish a baseline of elite athletic traits engineered for the perimeter cornerback position.

Comprehensive Career Statistical Database (2022–2025)

The raw output of Derek Stingley Jr.’s four-year career showcases steady year-over-year progression, culminating in elite league-wide status in his third and fourth seasons. The master table below consolidates all verified regular-season defensive metrics.

Year-by-Year Quantitative Breakdown and Trajectory Analysis

1. The 2022 Rookie Campaign: Structural Foundation & Initial Glimpses

Stingley’s entry into the professional ranks in 2022 was highly anticipated due to his top-three draft pedigree. His rookie season was a mixture of defensive productivity and physical limitation, as he was restricted to 9 games.

• Participation and Volume: Stingley made 9 appearances, recording 43 total tackles (35 solo and 8 assisted). His tackling volume during this span was remarkably high for a perimeter cornerback, indicating that opposing offenses frequently targeted his side of the field or tested his run-support capabilities early.
• Pass Deflection and Turnovers: He registered 5 passes defended and recorded his first career interception, returning it for 9 yards.
• Specialty Defensive Statistics: Stingley recorded his first (and, to date, only) career sack, demonstrating his utility in corner blitz packages. He also contributed 0.5 stuffs (tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage against the run).
• Strategic Context: Offenses attempted to exploit his rookie status by executing quick screens and physical perimeter runs. His high solo tackle count (35) over only 9 games illustrates his quick diagnosis of plays and willingness to engage in space.

2. The 2023 Sophomore Season: The Emergence of the Ball-Hawk

The 2023 season marked a shift in how offenses approached Stingley. Despite playing in only 11 games due to mid-season disruptions, his pure coverage output and ball production escalated dramatically.

• Turnover Efficiency: Stingley recorded 5 interceptions in just 11 games. This efficiency represents an interception-per-game ratio of 0.45, establishing him as one of the most dangerous ball-hawking cornerbacks in the league during his active weeks.
• Coverage Disruption: His passes defended metric jumped to 13. Combined with his 5 interceptions, he accounted for 18 direct disruptions on incoming passes over 11 contests.
• Tackling Mechanics: He finished with 39 total tackles (28 solo, 11 assisted). His tackle-to-game ratio shifted downward, a common statistical occurrence for elite cornerbacks as opposing quarterbacks begin to deliberately avoid throwing in their direction.
• Run Support Metrics: Stingley recorded 1.0 stuff for a loss of 2 yards, highlighting his growing discipline in maintaining perimeter run contain.

3. The 2024 Breakthrough: Peak Volume and Elite Durability

The 2024 campaign represents Stingley’s definitive career peak in terms of volume, availability, and sustained defensive dominance. Playing in all 17 regular-season games for the first time, he consolidated his physical and mental skills into an elite season-long performance.

• Durability Milestone: Appearing in all 17 games, Stingley answered any lingering durability questions, proving his capacity to withstand the physical toll of a complete professional calendar.
• Tackling Dominance: He set a career-high with 54 total tackles (37 solo and 17 assisted). This balance indicates excellent support in the secondary and an active role in limiting yards-after-catch.
• Pass Disruption Apex: Stingley achieved a career-high 18 passes defended, placing him at the absolute top tier of the league. He backed up this lockdown coverage with another 5-interception season, returning those picks for a career-high 48 yards (averaging 9.6 yards per return).
• Elite Run Containment: His run defense metrics exploded to 5.0 stuffs, resulting in 8 stuff yards lost for opposing offenses. This demonstrates his transformation into a complete defender who can collapse outside zone runs and screen passes.

4. The 2025 Campaign: Masterclass Positioning and Scoring Production

In 2025, Stingley delivered a highly polished, opportunistic performance, sustaining his iron-man status by completing another full 17-game schedule.

• National Standing: Stingley’s 4 interceptions tied him for 8th in the entire league. His 15 passes defended ranked 11th overall, cementing his status as a top-10 defensive back across major coverage categories.
• The Defensive Touchdown: For the first time in his career, Stingley scored a defensive touchdown off an interception return. Over his 4 interceptions, he accumulated 68 return yards, averaging a career-best 17.0 yards per return with a long return of 31 yards.
• Tackling and Forced Turnover: He recorded 36 total tackles (26 solo, 10 assisted) and registered his first career forced fumble, proving his ability to actively dislodge the ball from ball-carriers.
• Run Support: He logged 1.5 stuffs for a loss of 2 yards, continuing his consistent presence in the flat.

Analytical Comparison of Yearly Progressions

To better understand Stingley’s career arc, it is useful to evaluate his statistics normalized per game and analyze the efficiency of his coverage metrics.

Key Trends Identified in the Analytics:

1. Tackle Volume Minimization: His tackles-per-game metric steadily declined from 4.78 as a rookie to 2.12 in 2025. This is a clear indicator of the “shutdown effect”—quarterbacks targeted him less frequently as his reputation grew, reducing his total opportunities to make tackles on completed passes.
2. Pass Disruption Consistency: Since his sophomore season, Stingley has consistently broken up or intercepted passes at an elite rate. After his rookie year, his passes defended per game stayed highly productive, peaking at 1.18 in 2023 and remaining strong at 1.06 (2024) and 0.88 (2025).
3. Elite Ball Return Efficiency: Stingley’s vision after securing turnovers has evolved. In 2025, his average interception return was a career-high 17.0 yards, culminating in his first defensive touchdown.

Defensive Coverage Efficiency and Impact Analysis

1. Tracking Pass Deflections Against Targets

Stingley’s career total of 51 passes defended over 54 games is highly unusual for a modern cornerback.

This indicates a defender who excels at playing the ball in flight rather than merely playing the receiver’s body. His length (6′ 1″) and physical reach allow him to disrupt passing lanes that shorter cornerbacks cannot access.

2. The Impact of Demeco Ryans’ System

Stingley’s dramatic statistical leap between 2022 (under previous defensive management) and the 2023–2025 period (under Demeco Ryans) highlights a system-fit optimization.

Ryans’ scheme utilizes Stingley’s elite press-man coverage capabilities, allowing him to trail the opponent’s number-one receiver while using safety help over the top or utilizing his instincts to bait quarterbacks in zone matching.

• In 2022, Stingley’s usage was highly localized, resulting in fewer deep opportunities to play the ball (only 1 interception and 5 passes defended).
• In 2023–2025, his free-flowing, aggressive boundary play led to 14 interceptions and 46 passes defended over a three-season stretch.

3. Professional Run Support and Tackling Form

While cornerbacks are primarily judged on coverage, physical run support is a prerequisite for a championship-level defense. Stingley’s statistical record shows a highly disciplined tackler.

Out of his 172 career tackles, 126 have been solo, demonstrating exceptional open-field tackling skills. His 8 career stuffs for 12 yards lost showcase an ability to shed blocks and blow up outside run concepts.

Conclusion

Derek Stingley Jr. has solidified his place as a premier defensive cornerstone for the Houston Texans. Through 54 career games, he has amassed 172 total tackles, 51 passes defended, and 15 interceptions.

Overcoming early physical limitations, his consecutive 17-game seasons in 2024 and 2025 underscore his elite durability and growth.

Recording a career-high 18 passes defended in 2024 alongside a career-best 17.0-yard interception return average and a defensive touchdown in 2025, Stingley’s trajectory is undeniable.

The numbers confirm that number 24 has fully transitioned from a high-stakes draft selection into an elite NFL shutdown cornerback.