NFL Execs, Coaches, Scouts Rank Texans Dalton Schultz As Top-10 NFL TE For 2024

Caleb Skinner | Jul 15, 2024

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (86) celebrates receiving a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. / Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA

Elite tight ends are a rare breed in the NFL, but they have recently seen a resurgence in their level of talent as they have become much more engrained in every down aspect of an offense, becoming more involved in a team's passing game than they once had.

With the game transitioning into a more pass-heavy one, the need for tight ends who can not only block but catch passes as well has become an emphasis for franchises around the league.

A team can only be so lucky as to find one of the Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Mark Andrews of the football world, but even rostering a top half of the league tight end could prove worthwhile. The Houston Texans have one of those guys in seventh-year tight end Dalton Schultz who NFL executives, coaches, and scouts ranked as the tenth-best tight end in the league entering the 2024 season - slotting behind Jaguars' Evan Engram and just ahead of Jake Ferguson and Trey McBride.

"In a battle for Texas, Schultz edged his replacement in Dallas, Jake Ferguson, and many others for a spot in the top 10.

Schultz is a former Cowboys franchise player who turned a modest one-year deal with the Texans into a $36 million extension after catching 59 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns.

Schultz's play isn't flashy, but voters who value consistency value him greatly. He committed two drops on 88 targets, one of the top clips among tight ends.

He's one of five tight ends to rank in the top eight at the position in catches (257), yards (2,635) and touchdowns (22) since 2020. Kelce, Andrews, Kittle and Hockenson are the others. That's good company.

"He's just an all-around good player, consistent, blocks, can make contested receptions," said a lead evaluator with an AFC team. "He affects winning.""

Last season, his first in Houston, Schultz proved to be a reliable target for rookie QB C.J. Stroud, catching 59 passes for 635 yards and finding the endzone five times. Schultz's numbers have always hovered around this, so it is easy to see why he would slot in around the tenth-ranked TE in the league.

Schultz should still see around the same usage this season in Houston, even with Cade Stover being drafted to join the Texans' TE room, albeit he will have to fight to retain his career numbers as the team went out and added more mouths to feed in RB Joe Mixon and WR Stefon Diggs.

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