The injury bug has bitten the Houston Texans once again, and at the worst possible time.
Already shorthanded at the tight end position due to season-ending injuries to Brevin Jordan and Irv Smith, the Texans now have Dalton Shultz as their only tight end on the active roster. Sources tell Texans Roundtable that second-year player Cade Stover has a broken foot and will be out indefinitely.
Stover, whom Houston selected in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, was seen leaving SoFi Stadium with a boot on after the Texans’ 14-9 Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams as he finished the game with four catches for 22 yards. He started in nine out of the 15 games he played in during his rookie season.
“He’s grown a lot,” said Shultz about the progress Stover made throughout training camp. “Strength, speed, size, knowledge of the game, he looks way more comfortable. It’s fun having him in the room because he’s a farm boy, back country loves to get down and dirty. But, at the same time, you can see that he’s really smart and he’s got a knowledge for the game.”
The news to Stover could mean an elevation from the practice squad for either veteran Harrison Bryant, who the Texans acquired via trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, or 2025 seventh-round pick Luke Lachey out of Iowa. Both players were cut by the Texans at the end of training camp but were re-signed to the practice squad.