Texans Head Coach Claims Rookie TE Has Been 'Most Consistent Player On The Team'

The Houston Texans rookie tight end has impressed the staff early in his career.

Kade Kimble | Aug 14, 2024

Jul 29, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover (87) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

In this story:

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans offensive group is solid from top to bottom. The only slight concern might come from the trenches, as the club will want to keep second-year star quarterback C.J. Stroud's jersey clean.

The team's running back room consists of two contributors in Joe Mixon and Damien Pierce, with Cam Akers providing depth. The wide receiver room is headlined by a strong corps of Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell, surrounded by plenty of depth.

A sneaky group within the Texans' offense, though, are the tight ends. Dalton Schultz should be a consistent target of Stroud's. Rookie tight end Cade Stover, a former Ohio State teammate of Stroud's, shouldn't be lost in the mix.

Stover caught a pass from Stroud in the Texans' preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers this past weekend, which makes sense given the early impressions he's made in training camp, showing chemistry with both Stroud and Davis Mills.

Second-year head coach DeMeco Ryans was complimentary of Stover and his showing in preseason and training camp thus far.

“Cade has probably been one of our most consistent players on the team since he’s been here," Ryans said on Sunday. "Sometimes, I was telling the guys today, I forget that he is a rookie because he’s been so consistent. He is exactly the guy we thought we were getting. Tough, gritty, hard nosed and dependable."

Stover adding depth to the tight end position goes to show how stacked Houston's offense is heading into the 2024 NFL season. The offensive side of the field will be the Texans' strength as they aim to be a legitimate contender out of the AFC South.

How exactly has Stover been consistent, though?

"He has been really dependable and has shown a lot really with the routes and being able to catch the football and move down field, break tackles. It’s exciting to see a young player come in and be as consistent as he's been day in and day out," Ryans continued.

The more the merrier for the Texans. Stover being dependable in a regular season game will allow Schultz to take more snaps off in a grueling 17-game schedule, while also allowing Stroud to even further diversify his targets and stretch defenses.

Houston's offense is set to be elite this coming season, and the support around Stroud is the very reason he's generating some MVP buzz ahead of the regular season kicking off.

Stick with TexansGameday for more coverage of the Houston Texans throughout the offseason.

Follow Kade on Twitter.

Read More Houston Texans News