C.J. Fiedorowicz’s future in Houston is questionable at best. While he is a productive player on the field, concussions got the better of him last season and may have ended his career. Nothing definitive has been said as of yet. However if Fiedorowicz decides to retire the Texans need a new tight end. Luckily a few options have become available in free agency.
Eric Ebron
Yes the player selected two picks before Odell Beckham Jr. Eric Ebron is a tight end who came into the league raw and athletic and unfortunately has failed to capitalize on his abilities while in Detroit. The fact of the matter is that Ebron is more of a pass catching tight end than a blocking tight end. This is good news for the Texans. Deshaun Watson needs more targets to throw to and an athletic tight end in Ebron could be the perfect fit.
Ebron caught 53 passes for 574 yards and four touchdowns last season with the Lions. However this was with Ebron lining up next to Golden Tate and Marvin Jones, hardly the type of players he would play with in Houston. Playing with DeAndre Hopkins could certainly unlock the potential that resulted in Ebron being a Top 10 draft pick.
Julius Thomas
Now this is a player who has fallen off the map a bit. After Julius Thomas departed for Jacksonville it became rather apparent that Peyton Manning was responsible for the majority of his success. In fact it has taken three seasons in Jacksonville and Miami for Thomas to match his touchdown total from his last season in Denver (12). Obviously the deficiencies of Blake Bortles and Jay Cutler are mostly to blame for his drop in production.
There is good news however. Thomas has shown he is capable of producing with a good quarterback lining up under center. The Texans have that in Watson. Watson would be able to get Thomas back to performing at a reasonably high level if he were to put on a Texans uniform. It is also worth mentioning that Thomas should be less expensive than Ebron due to age. This could come into play since Houston needs to cast a wide net in free agency this season.
Will the Texans actually sign one of these players?
That is hard to say. Houston could decide to roll with what they already have on their roster, which would be a colossal mistake. Watson needs quality pass catchers at the tight end position and Ebron and Thomas can be just that.
The other scenario could be that the Texans want to address this position in the draft. The bad news here is that their first draft pick in April is in round three. There is the possibility that a quality tight end can be found in the third round, but honestly that draft pick might be better used addressing the offensive line.