I would like to thank Dalton Schultz for saving me a ton of work. With Schultz as a free agent, I planned to really dive into options for the Texans in free agency and the draft at tight end. The potential loss of Schultz would have left a gaping hole at the position and the Texans would've needed to examine a ton of different options in free agency and/or the Draft to fill that void.
Then, on Tuesday, Schultz signed a three year extension and made my work for this Position Breakdown that much easier. Of course, he signed for that sole reason, right? I kid, I kid, but it was tremendous news to see the Texans top receiving tight end choosing to stay right here in Houston. The Schultz signing brings back the Texans top three tight ends from last year and should allow the Texans to examine other more glaring needs for the 2024 season.
Either way, let's dive into our Position Breakdown for the Texans' tight ends after the wonderful gift of Schultz prior to the start of the new league year.
Under contract, returning for 2024
Dalton Schultz - 2024 contract extension
Earlier this week, Schultz re-upped with the Texans for the next three years, keeping the key pass catcher ecosystem together for another year. Schultz finished with 59 catches for 635 yards (the second highest in his career) and five touchdowns (tied for second highest in his career. He made it clear throughout the last half of the season that he wanted to be here for the future and the Texans made that happen this week. Love seeing him back in a Texans jersey for the foreseeable future.
2023 stats (15 games) - 59 receptions, 635 yards, five touchdowns (35 of his 59 catches went for first downs)
Brevin Jordan - 2021 5th round selection
Jordan set a career high for receiving yardage during the regular season with 219 yards. Then, in the playoffs, he registered more than a third of that total on one long catch and run for a TD against Cleveland. He's shown a penchant for big plays, especially of the catch and run variety. When healthy, he proved that he can play a number of different spots as he did when he played a significant number of FB snaps against the Titans in the Texans win at home over Tennessee.
2023 stats (14 games) - 17 receptions, 219 yards, two touchdowns (13 of his 17 catches went for first downs)
Teagan Quitoriano - 2022 5th round selection
It's just a matter of the big TE from Oregon State staying healthy. He's played in just 16 games over the past two seasons. He missed the final 10 regular season games and two playoff games in 2023 as well. He has Y-TE traits, but he just hasn't been able to stay healthy enough to develop into the solid run blocking Y-TE the Texans imagined him to be in the future. No time like the present to make that a reality.
2023 stats (Seven games) - Two receptions for 33 yards
Dalton Keene - 2023 Free Agent signing, 2024 reserve/future contract
Keene spent the season with the Texans on the practice squad, active for one game. He can fill a number of different roles from FB to H-back to Y-TE on this team. As such, the Texans signed Keene to a reserve/future contract in January 2024.
2023 stats (One game) - No stats
2023 Texans' unrestricted free agents - status unknown to this point
When Quitoriano went down for the season, the Texans signed former Dallas Cowboys TE Eric Saubert, who played for Texans TE coach Jake Moreland in Denver. Saubert was able to step in at the Y-TE spot and provide solid snaps for the Texans for the remainder of the season.
2023 stats (Nine games) - three receptions for 12 yards
Available unrestricted free agents THAT MAKE SENSE
After extending Dalton Schultz, the Texans have their top three tight ends back from last year. So, given that free agent money was spent on Schultz, there may not be as much readily available for an additional splashy signing. If anything, there could be a true Y-TE in their sites.
TE Will Dissly (formerly Seahawks)
I'd imagine that DeMeco Ryans knows all about Dissly, who was a member of the Seahawks until he was cut as a cap casualty earlier this week. Dissly's got size, run blocks extremely well and is just 28 years old. Now, he had a sizable salary in Seattle and I don't imagine there's a ton earmarked for this position after the Schultz signing. Could make it tough, but he's one of very few true Y-TEs in this class not over the age of 30 with some pelts on the wall.
The Makes Sense Scale from 1 (no sense) to 10 (Perfect sense!) - 6
TE Drew Sample (Bengals)
Sample isn't quite at the level of his former University of Washington teammate, but he might be a quality Y-TE option. He's just 27 years old, possesses a Y-TE skill set and perhaps won't be as expensive as the top TEs in this class.
The Makes Sense Scale from 1 (no sense) to 10 (Perfect sense!) - 7
The JH "CRUSH" List - Rookies by Texans draft selection THAT MAKE SENSE
This TE class isn't as robust as other classes and I think that there are only a handful of players that the Texans would consider, honestly, given the fact that they have their top three TEs returning. But, the Texans have drafted a tight end in two of the last three drafts, so I'm not writing anything off.
1st round - 23rd overall currently
Brock Bowers, Georgia (6-3 ⅛, 243 lb)
2nd round - 59th overall currently
NONE
3rd round - 86th overall currently
Theo Johnson, Penn State (6-6 ⅛, 259 lb)
4th round - 124th and 128th overall currently
NONE
5th round - No picks currently
Tip Reiman, Illinois (6-4 ⅞, 271 lb)
6th round - No picks currently
A.J. Barner, Michigan (6-6 ½, 260 lb)
7th round - 236th 245th & 250th overall
Max Wright, Texas A&M (6-4, 255 lb)
