You see him out there on the island, and half the time, the ball doesn't even come his way. That’s the Derek Stingley Jr. experience.
It’s weird, honestly. When we talk about shutdown corners, we expect these massive, eye-popping tackle numbers, but Derek Stingley Jr. stats tell a much more sophisticated story. He’s the guy who makes a 60-minute game feel like a 5-minute highlight reel because quarterbacks are literally terrified of his side of the field. In 2025, he was targeted just 65 times despite playing 17 games. That is basically a neon sign saying "Don't throw here."
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He isn't just a "prospect" anymore. He's the cornerstone of a Houston Texans defense that, quite frankly, bullied the AFC South this past year.
The Raw Numbers: A Shutdown Evolution
If you just glance at the box scores, you might think he had a "down" year in 2025 compared to 2024. He went from 52 total tackles to 36. But you've gotta look deeper than that. Tackles for a cornerback usually mean you allowed a completion.
Low tackles? Usually a great sign.
Here is what the career trajectory actually looks like:
- 2022 Rookie Season: 9 games, 43 tackles, 1 INT, 5 passes defensed.
- 2023 Breakout: 11 games, 39 tackles, 5 INTs, 13 passes defensed.
- 2024 All-Pro Run: 17 games, 54 tackles, 5 INTs, 18 passes defensed.
- 2025 Shutdown Mode: 17 games, 36 tackles, 4 INTs, 15 passes defensed, and 1 forced fumble.
He also finally got that elusive "house call" in Week 16 of the 2025 season. He picked off Geno Smith and took it 31 yards for a touchdown against the Raiders. It was the first defensive score of his career, and honestly, it felt like it was a long time coming.
What’s wild is his consistency. He is currently the only player in the NFL to record at least four interceptions in three consecutive seasons. That’s not luck. That’s elite ball-tracking.
Why the PFF Grades Tell a Different Story
Most people live and die by Pro Football Focus (PFF) grades. They aren't perfect, obviously. But they do highlight things we miss in real-time.
In 2023, Stingley posted an 82.1 overall grade. In 2024, it stayed high at 73.9 while he was playing every single snap. Then 2025 happened. He started a bit slow because of a nagging oblique injury—he actually played through it for most of the second half of the season—and his grade dipped to around 57.0 early on.
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But man, did he bounce back.
From Week 11 to the end of the 2025 season, his PFF coverage grade was 84.8. That was second-best in the entire league. During those final eight games, he allowed only 12 catches. Think about that. Over two months of football, only 12 balls were caught against him.
He’s basically a black hole for wide receivers.
The "Lockdown" Advanced Metrics
Next Gen Stats recently released their 2025 All-Pro team, and Stingley was the star of the show. His target rate dropped to 11.9%. Only four other corners in the NFL were avoided more frequently.
But here is the stat that actually breaks my brain: 37.9%.
That was his completion rate allowed in zone coverage. According to the data, that’s the lowest by any defender in at least eight seasons. Quarterbacks had a laughable 11.2 passer rating when throwing into his zone. Throwing the ball out of bounds is literally a more productive play for an offense than testing Derek Stingley Jr. in zone.
Navigating the Injury Narrative
Look, we have to talk about the "fragile" label. Early on, it was a fair criticism. He missed eight games in 2022 and six in 2023. At LSU, he barely played his final two years.
But 2024 and 2025 changed everything.
He played all 34 regular-season games over the last two years. Even when he was dealing with the oblique issue in late 2025, he didn't miss a start. He was a full participant in practice before the 2025 Wild Card matchup against the Steelers. He’s durable now. The "injury-prone" narrative is officially dead.
What This Means for the Texans' Future
The Texans defense is currently ranked #1 in the NFL for total yards allowed (272.3 per game) and points allowed (16.6). You can't do that without a guy like Stingley.
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Having him allows DeMeco Ryans to get incredibly creative with the rest of the secondary. Because Stingley is "set it and forget it" on one side, they can rotate safeties and blitz from the slot with total confidence.
Basically, he makes everyone else on the field look better.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you are tracking Derek Stingley Jr. stats for fantasy, betting, or just general football nerdiness, keep these points in mind:
- Don't chase tackle stats. If Stingley is having a "bad" fantasy day with zero tackles, he’s probably having a legendary real-world day where nobody is throwing his way.
- December is his month. He has 7 interceptions over 12 career games in December. He thrives in the cold and the high-pressure late-season environment.
- Zone vs. Man. While he’s known as a man-to-man specialist, his 2025 zone metrics were historically good. Teams can't even beat him with scheme anymore.
Watch his positioning next game. He doesn't just trail receivers; he dictates where they can go. It's a masterclass in leverage.
The next time someone tries to tell you he's "just okay" because he doesn't have 100 tackles, show them the completion percentage allowed. The numbers don't lie. Derek Stingley Jr. is the best corner in football right now, and he's only 24 years old.