When the Houston Texans signed Matt Lengel on Saturday, less than two weeks before the 2018 NFL Draft, he became the seventh tight end under contract in Houston. That figure does not include C.J. Fiedorowicz, who recently retired due to multiple concussions.
Seven tight ends under contract, but still the position remains one of the Texans’ bigger needs in the draft.
It seems crazy, but the proven quality of the tight end crop is significantly lesser than the quantity at this point.
Ryan Griffin is the presumptive starter, and he’s potentially worthy of that status if he’s recovered from the concussion issues of his own. The 28-year-old is one of the longest-tenured Texans by entering his sixth season in Houston.
Alas, durability is not Griffin’s strong suit. He has missed 16 games in the last three seasons. And he’s topped 20 receptions just once, with 50 in 2016. Griffin snagged 13 catches last year before going on IR.
Stephen Anderson nearly doubled that, with 25. Anderson is back for more and has some potential as a receiving specialist who can play flexed out. The 24-year-old has 36 career receptions. Just one of the other five Texans tight ends on the roster right now caught a single pass in 2017.
That belongs to Ryan Malleck, who gained three yards on his one Texans catch, which happened to be his first career NFL reception. Houston was his fourth NFL team in 2017 but the only one to activate him from the practice squad.
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MyCole Pruitt does have 12 NFL receptions, 10 of which came as a rookie with the Vikings in 2015. He’s been a healthy scratch or on the practice squad in all but three games since, and he too finished the ’17 campaign on the Texans injured reserve.
Lengel and his two career catches (with New England in 2016) joins Jevoni Robinson and Zach Conque on the crowded “developmental project” wing of the Texans TE roster. That does not include Kendall Lamm, who is ostensibly a tackle but did see action as a blocking TE when the injuries piled up last year.
It’s feasible the Texans could see enough potential in the septet to enter training camp without adding anyone else at tight end. Anderson and Conque in particular could develop into much more than they’ve shown. But it’s hard to envision Bill O’Brien being satisfied with the potential for his tight end room to be the weakest in the league, too.
