HOUSTON – Growing up in a rural Virginia town between the Appomattox and James rivers, Texans veteran defensive end Darrell Taylor and his family endured extremely difficult circumstances.
Hopewell, which has a population of roughly 23,000, has been stricken by a high rate of violent crime and economic decline in recent years.
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For Taylor, his formative years were a time when he and his family relied on love and hope as they experienced homelessness. There were times when Taylor, his mother, and his sister would sleep in their car. Many times, they would rest their heads on someone’s couch.
From those hardscrabble roots, Taylor developed a strong determination to succeed in school and football. He eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Tennessee before emerging as a second-round draft pick with the Seattle Seahawks.
Beyond his focus on building a prosperous life, Taylor never forgot that feeling of financial uncertainty and doubt. He has devoted his time, heart, and resources toward helping the homeless through his 52 Sundays initiative. The central idea: Give tangibly, and to let people know that someone cares about them, and to not give in to despair.
“I wanted to give back because I’ve been homeless before,” Taylor told KPRC 2. “My mom and I slept on other people’s couches, slept in our car. Man, I’m so thankful because I could be anywhere. I could be homeless again, like I was when I was a kid. And just for God to put me in this place, in this position, on this platform, to have everything that I have, pressure is a privilege. Me being able to have all of this, it’s only right to give back to the community we live in, the community you work around on a daily basis. I can definitely sympathize because I was definitely in this position before. Just being able to be here and do these things, it just warmed my heart and it’s something that God put on my heart to have the opportunity to share the love with these people.”
On Sunday afternoon, Taylor spent his off day partnering with local organizations and Raising Cane’s to feed the homeless in the city of Houston. Greeting the homeless and folks dealing with economic issues, Taylor personally handed out bags of food and delivered an encouraging message to those less fortunate.
There were free haircuts from a local barber and supplies handed out from the Agape Foundation. He was supported at his event by teammates Derek Barnett and Junior Tafuna and team chaplain Mikado Hinson, and local organizations.
“We’re here to give back,” Taylor said. “We ain’t in no rush. Just to be able to give back and present them with this opportunity to get food, get clothes, and get a clean haircut to look good again. I felt like this was the perfect opportunity.”
The vision for 52 Sundays, named for how many Sundays there are annually and after his Jersey number, was inspired by Key Frager, Taylor’s manager. And it has just grown and grown every year after initially starting it in Phoenix, where he was doing his offseason training. The name reflects his commitment to give back every Sunday.
#Texans defensive end Darrell Taylor gives back to a community in need: the homeless
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 17, 2025
Through his 52 Sundays program, Taylor, who experienced homelessness growing up, brought Raising Canes @raisingcanes free haircuts and more to be a helping hand in city of Houston. Joined by his… pic.twitter.com/5WJQH8576Z
“Man, this is everything,” Taylor said. “We’re very fortunate to be in the position that we are: creating love and showing love, giving back to the city. The fortunate thing I’m able to do is just spend some money, get some people to help out, and just give back to the community, to people who are less fortunate than I am. It’s very exciting to just be out here, have some of my teammates out here helping me.
“Just to give back water, food, clothes, haircuts, and those simple things, just to get back the small things that matter, just being able to be here and give back to the community is everything to me."
Another reason why Taylor is so passionate about living in the moment is personal loss.
Taylor had been dating a woman for a few years, and she tragically passed away earlier this year. He became more spiritual through his grief.
“I was lost,” Taylor said. “I didn’t really have a strong connection with God. I thank God that he put that on my heart. That’s what drove me to do this even more.”
During his event, being joined by teammates from the Texans resonated deeply with Taylor.
They share his desire to help, which was bolstered by Raising Cane’s and the Agape Foundation, along with Frager.
“That means a lot to me because I just threw it in our group message,” Taylor said. “I didn’t really give anybody any obligations because that’s not what it’s about. Just having those guys want to reach out and just come out here and give a helping hand, that’s everything to me.
“Because we are brothers and we bleed, sweat, and cry together and feel. So having them come out there and give a hand, be by my side, doing this stuff, man, it means a lot to me. Key, I look at him as a family member. We understand it’s hard out here. Give back to the people that are less fortunate than us.”
On the football field, Taylor provides a dynamic, passionate presence.
Taylor is all energy and twitchy movements.
He is an outstanding pass rusher who was signed to a one-year, $5.25 million contract this offseason to work in tandem with Pro Bowl pass defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr.
“He’s elusive, he’s bendy, he can rush,” Anderson said. “Very powerful when he uses his power, man. He’s just bringing a different style of rush that we like to call attack. He’s going to take you on the edge.
“He’s going to come back, spin inside, all those different types of things. So, he has a great, pass rush repertoire. I can’t wait to see him ball out.”
At a sculpted 6-foot-4, 267 pounds, Taylor’s athleticism stands out.
Taylor has recorded 123 tackles and 24 1/2 sacks with seven forced fumbles.
He hit a career-high with 9 1/2 sacks in his second NFL season in Seattle. He had three sacks and two forced fumbles last season with the Chicago Bears.
“Probably a different type of rusher, different style, a little bit twitchier and sort of edgy guy,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “So, I just like the variety that he brings. I think he’s growing in our techniques in the system from a play and play standpoint. A guy that’s had some success as a rusher in the league, so hopefully we can take advantage of that.”
The speed and explosiveness elements Taylor brings to the line of scrimmage are intriguing to the Texans. It’s something different.
“It’s a nice little change-up from Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter,” Texans defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “He brings that speed element and being able to utilize him in many different packages, not just on the edge. We’ll see where we can move him around and try to use some three-end sets if possible.”
Taylor is fast enough to play as a standup outside linebacker and strong enough to put his hand in the dirt and grapple with bigger offensive tackles out of a three-point stance.
In 65 games and 13 starts, Taylor has 43 quarterback hits and 25 tackles for losses. He’s a playmaker.
“I’m a speed rusher and I can throw moves, but adding a little power to it every now and then keeps tackles on any toes,” Taylor said. “I think that is gonna set me up for success. It’s literally a chess match.
“One of the best defensive fronts in football. It’s been great to be here, to get back to what I know best. That’s pass rushing and playing hard football.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
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