What to make of the Houston Texans’ tight end room for 2022

The Adam Shaheen deal doesn’t bring much hope for the Houston Texans’ lackluster position group of tight end.

There is perhaps no more important player on the offense for a young quarterback than a solid tight end. That is why it’s a shame what the Houston Texans have provided second-year signal caller Davis Mills with entering the 2022 season.

Last season, Mills’ top tight end options consisted of Jordan Akins, who led the group with a grand total of 214 yards, Brevin Jordan (178 yards), and Pharaoh Brown (171 yards). Certainly not the ideal situation you want to place your rookie quarterback into. Yet, somehow Houston finds themselves in a very similar situation entering this season.

With Akins leaving for the New York Giants, the Texans’ tight end room now consists of Jordan, Brown, rookie fifth-round pick Teagan Quitoriano, and the newly acquired Adam Shaheen.

Houston sent the Miami Dolphins a 2023 sixth-round pick in exchange for Shaheen, and a 2023 seventh-round selection. Shaheen, however, isn’t likely going to provide many answers for the Texans.

Will Texans have a player step up in role of TE in 2022?

Having never eclipsed 12 catches or 150 yards in a single season, the 27 year-old figures to be just another cog in Houston’s mess of a tight end group. With the rookie Quitoriano only being targeted 54 times during his entire stay at Oregon State, and Brown (28), not showing much thus far in his career, Houston’s last hope for successful tight end play this season rests on second-year player Jordan.

While Jordan finished with less than 200 receiving yards as a rookie, the potential is there for him. At the University of Miami, Jordan was always in the running for the Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top tight end. In 2019 he was a finalist for the award, as well as being a semifinalist in 2020.

Simply put, Jordan has the talent to succeed in the league. If he and Mills can ever develop a connection, Houston may have their answer at tight end. Until then however, things could get very shaky.