Doing some prep work before painting my interior walls and I'm trying to repair popped drywall screws and nails. I have 26 pops, none of them were completely through the texture but you could see the bulge. All but 3 of them are on my stairway leading between my first and second floor. Three of those 23 on the stairs are actually nails, not screws. The photo below is on the landing between the two floors after I exposed all of the screw heads. This is the worst area by far, between the landing and the upstairs floor joists.

I was able to turn all of the screws about 0.5 to 1.5 turns to tighten them up, but a few turned more than that and I stopped before they were tight because it seemed like they were getting rather deep in the drywall. According to my stud finder they should all be in studs.

What should my repair plan be? I'm planning on pulling the 3 nails and replacing them with screws to prevent them from backing out again. As I can see it, I have a few options for the screws that apparently backed out...

1. Screw them all back in as I did and call it good.
2. Replace the ones that didn't tighten up with new screws just above and below.
3. Replace them all with new screws above and below.
4. Or...???

I appreciate the help.

Sink another screw right next to those that were popped, and if the sheetrock sucks into the wall, there was a gap between it and the wall.
If it doesn't suck up, spot the screw heads and continue finishing the area.
They could have messed with the depth on the scrugun, and that's why they weren't deep enough.
Good practice is that once the depth is set correctly, to go back to where you set your depth and reset the test screws to the correct depth.

As above, make sure the sheetrock is tight against the studs then anything that's sticking up & on a stud smack with a hammer to make it a dimple..
Fill the dimple, sand and paint.
I shine a flashlight across a wall to look for irregularities.
That's also another way to locate studs as usually there's a slight rise where the nails or screws are located.

I would try and see if the drywall IS against the stud faces.

The problem is if it is NOT it will create a large 'dish' in the wall if you do it now.
The texture can help hide it if it is not all that deep after being screwed down.

You will not be able to tell unless you add screws in the area to pull the drywall against the studs.

If most of the fasteners in that area are nails add some screws.

A correct drill-driver with the nose to make a shallow recess works better than the drill adapters.

shiplap all the things

I would have never guessed Joanna was an arfcommer.

We had to take the screws out and put some silicone on the threads to keep them from coming out.

Thanks guys. I'll sink some more screws in and report back in a day or two.

So the current drywall screws were only 1" long. Seems short to me, maybe they backed out? I sank in a couple of 1-5/8" screws. I didn't not notice the drywall pulling any tighter to the wall when I did this.

I'm thinking I'll screw the current screws back in, then add another longer new screw above or below each one to make sure everything is held tight.

Sound good?

Don't go overboard with the screws, and do not break the paper when you sink them.
The strength of sheetrock comes from the paper.
After you've driven the screws, take a straight edge and see if there is a dip in that area.
If there is a large low area, use a long piece of aluminum to apply the mud in that area.
Once the crater is filled, you can finish up with regular knives.
Since it's a small area, use a damp sponge to get your final finish instead of sanding.  That way you won't have to deal with the dust.

I cannot recall seeing ANY screw come out.
Nails, yes.

Not screws.

If the screw was over-driven and tore out the face paper completely it will provide very little strength and if the drywall is not in contact with the stud faces it could appear teh screw is protruding if the drywall is pushed back further.

But a screw moving out is a darn rare occurrence.

We get a lot of freeze and thaw cycles up here with a lot of moisture.
The paper face are intact. Sheetrock is firm against the studs.

House was built in early 80's and has no tyvex/moisture barrier under the t1-11 siding.

Every spring and fall i have to check the roofing screws as they like to back out too.

Or

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Generally want 3/4" of a screw going into a stud.

Also, your problem could be moisture content of the studs.  As studs dry out (or soak up moisture from the atmosphere) they will twist and warp in a wall.  A line of fasteners popping could be a sign of this.