On Tuesday, Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans opened his weekly press conference in a somewhat somber mood, providing an injury update on his players, including tight end Cade Stover, who suffered a broken foot in the season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
“I just wanted to start with an injury update: [TE Cade] Stover hurt his foot, so he’ll miss some time,” said Ryans. “I really hate that. He’s playing tough, physical, exactly how he wants it done. So, he’ll miss some time. We’ll have to upgrade our tight end room from that perspective.”
Stover was expected to be a key part of new offensive coordinator Nick Caley’s system, sharing playing time with Dalton Shultz. The second-year player had a strong offseason, which was clear during training camp practices.
Houston also lost starting center Jake Andrews on Sunday due to an ankle injury that required him to be carted into the locker room in the second half after receiving treatment in the blue medical tent.
“Jake Andrews rolled his ankle, so he’ll be day-to-day,” Ryans said.
With Andrews unavailable for the foreseeable future, the Texans will rely on Jarrett Patterson, Houston’s sixth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, to step into the starting lineup.
Patterson is familiar with quarterback C.J. Stroud, having started 16 games at center since Stroud’s rookie season in 2023.
“Patterson has done a nice job,” Ryans responded when asked about Patterson filling in for Andrews.
“Patterson’s played a lot of ball for us. He filled in last year. He stepped in. Wherever guard, center, Patterson is going to give you everything he has. That’s all we expect from him. I’m encouraged with how he plays.”
Ryans, in his third season as the Texans’ head coach, offered some positive news about another essential position on the offensive side.
Wide receivers Christian Kirk and Braxton Berrios were unavailable for Week 1 due to hamstring injuries they sustained during training camp.
“[Braxton] Berrios and [Christian] Kirk are doing well on their recovery,” said Ryans. “We’ll see how they go this week. No timetable set right now for those guys.”
If they cannot play in the Monday night home opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Texans will rely on rookie wide receiver Jaylin Noel and third-year player Xavier Hutchinson to fill the void on offense.