Back in 2019, a new holiday was added to the NFL's calendar following a sideline interaction between San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and then-Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo the year prior. Now, each year on the fourth Sunday of October, the league celebrates National Tight End's Day, and this year, it's oh-so-fitting that Kittle, the founding father of this holiday, will face the Houston Texans, who need tight end Dalton Schultz to show up in a major way now more than ever this Sunday.
The 2-4 Texans enter their Week 8 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers both desperate and short-handed, a dangerous combination that will force unexpected heroes to emerge in order to keep Houston's 2025 campaign from entering truly disastrous territory. One of those unexpected heroes could be eighth-year tight end Dalton Schultz.
Through six games, Schultz is second on the Texans in both targets (37) and yards (284), and leads the team with 30 receptions. He's also one of just four players in the league with at least 30 receptions and a success rate 67 percent. On Sunday, an already-busy Schultz could see an even higher share of targets coming his way with both Nico Collins and Christian Kirk sidelined.
Schultz enters this week's game coming off of his two best performances of the season... first, a 5-catch, 60 yard game versus the Baltimore Ravens, and then a 9-catch, 98 yard outing this past Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks. But historically, Schultz has been quiet on National Tight End's Day.
In three career games on the fourth Sunday of October, Schultz has caught just 11 passes for 123 yards. His counterpart this Sunday afternoon, George Kittle, has made a habit of showing up in a big way on National Tight End's Day. Since 2019, Kittle has caught 23 passes for 367 yards and two touchdowns on the day he helped to create.
"I want to see tight ends scoring touchdowns," Kittle said back in 2019. "I want to see them blocking guys, pancaking guys, breaking tackles, pass pro, I like seeing it all. And so, a day that you can recognize all the great tight ends across the league is a great day."
We'll see if Schultz can make Kittle proud on Sunday afternoon, and if he can be a frequent enough target for CJ Stroud to get the Houston Texans passing offense on track.