The hits keep on coming for the Houston Texans tight end room.
After beginning the season with Brevin Jordan (knee) and Irvin Smith Jr. (ankle) on injured reserve, the Texans will be without tight end Cade Stover when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. Stover is out indefinitely after breaking his foot on the team’s final offensive series in their season-opening 14-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, according to KPRC’s Aaron Wilson.
“Really hate that,” head coach DeMeco Ryans said Tuesday of Stover’s injury. “He’s playing tough, physical, exactly how we want it done. He’ll miss some time, so we’ll have to upgrade our tight end room from that perspective.”
Stover led the Texans with four catches against the Rams and had more snaps (36) than starting tight end Dalton Schultz (34). Outside of quarterback C.J. Stroud, he was the team’s highest graded offensive player on Sunday.
Cade Stover was projected to be a big part of the Texans' offense this year
A standout at Ohio State alongside Stroud, Stover was a fourth-round pick (123rd overall) by Houston in the 2024 NFL Draft. Last season, he saw action in 15 games and finished with 15 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown.
Entering his sophomore year, Stover was expected to be a big factor in Houston’s new-look offense under coordinator Nick Caley. He even drew some high praise from Texans GM Nick Caserio ahead of training camp.
“You’d be hard pressed to find a player that’s improved as much as Cade in the offseason," Caserio told reporters. "Really took advantage of his opportunities. He's always had the right mentality, and the right approach, and the right mindset. I think most young players going from year one to year two have an opportunity for growth and development, really, more physically., because they have a full year in the program."
With Stover now out for the foreseeable future, Schultz should see a majority of playing time. He led the team in targets on Sunday and finished with three catches for 28 yards.
The Texans also have a pair of tight ends on the practice squad they could turn to – veteran Harrison Bryant, acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for wide receiver John Metchie III, and rookie Luke Lachey, a seventh-round pick from the University of Iowa.
Both the afore mentioned Jordan and Smith Jr. are expected to miss the entire season with injuries.
Texans’ offensive linemen continue to get hit with the injury bug
Starting center Jake Andrews was also injured on Sunday, leaving the game with a high-ankle sprain. His status is day-to-day heading into the team’s Week 2 matchup. Following an offseason of changes, the Texans' offensive line struggled against the Rams. Stroud was sacked three times, and the Texans managed a mere 245 yards on offense.
If Andrews is unable to play on Monday, second-year center Jarrett Patterson will be his replacement. Like Andrews, starting guard Ed Ingram is also listed as questionable. He missed the Rams game with an abdominal injury.
According to Ryans, wide receivers Christian Kirk and Braxton Berrios, who also missed Week 1, are progressing well in their recovery from hamstring injuries, but there is no set return.