Houston Texans: Deshaun Watson, mid-season grades, report card
Tight Ends
The tight ends have battled injuries and really haven’t produced much this season, and at times it has shown compared to other teams in the league.
Starting tight end Ryan Griffin has played in seven games this season, where he has 11 receptions (27 targets) for 153 yards receiving and no touchdowns. Griffin is averaging 13.9 yards per reception, and he has no turnovers through his first seven games played.
Jordan Thomas has played well at times this season, especially after the past two weeks where he’s scored all three of his touchdowns for the season. Against the Miami Dolphins, Thomas made four receptions on four targets for 29 yards and two Red Zone touchdowns. This past Sunday against the Denver Broncos, Thomas had one reception (one target) for seven yards, and for the nine games played, Thomas has nine receptions for 127 yards, for 14.1 yards per reception average.
Jordan Akins has played in nine games this season, totaling nine receptions (14 targets) for 89 yards and no touchdowns. Akins is averaging 9.9 yards per reception but hasn’t made a reception in the past three games, as he was targeted three times in their most recent game against the Broncos.
This trio of tight ends has played well at times and not so well at others. With just three total touchdowns by the tight ends — all by Thomas — and with those coming in the past two games, there is more to be wanted from the tight ends, but it is interesting to see where Thomas emerges by the time the season ends because he’s showing potential to be a threat in the Red Zone for the remainder of the season.