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Tag: Cade Stover

  • Three Thoughts on Houston Texans TE Cade Stover’s Broken Foot

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    In sports, injuries happen. They are a part of the game. In no sport is that adage more true than professional football. Injuries are so embedded in this gladiator endeavor that teams have to put out a report each week on injuries, along with the likelihood of the injured combatants playing in that weekend’s game.

    In Houston over the last couple of years, whatever the “normal” injury rate is in football has been amplified by a significant multiplier. Two seasons ago, no team had more games missed due to injury than the Houston Texans, and last season wasn’t far behind. This season, we are already off to a rip roaring start after Sunday’s loss to the Rams.

    The most significant of the injuries suffered on Sunday was tight end Cade Stover suffering a broken foot at some point late in the game. With 2:27 remaining in regulation, Stover was in the game, got called for an illegal shift, and then never saw the field again. Given the lack of medical personnel attending to Stover for any reason, the best guess is he suffered the injury moments before this snap, and played through it for a few plays.

    According to head coach DeMeco Ryans on Tuesday, Stover will miss some time with the broken foot, but it’s unclear if that means a trip to injured reserve, where Stover would miss at least four games, likely more. This injury is a problem, and here are a few reasons why:

    Cade Stover was rapidly improving
    Throughout training camp, it was quite evident that Stover came back for his second season ready to make an impact. He was making plays at practice in the passing game, and his blocking in the run game was noticeable. This was translating into the regular season, on Sunday, as well, as Stover graded out very well on Pro Football Focus, where they grade each snap:

    On Sunday, Stover played more snaps than starting tight end Dalton Schultz. In other words, the Texans aren’t just losing a depth piece here. They are losing their best tight end.

    Tight end was a position they came into the season already light
    Injuries can be dealt with, if there is a reasonable replacement or solution waiting in the wings. The Texans do not have one. Schultz and Stover were the only tight ends on the initial 53 man roster. They do have Harrison Bryant (acquired for WR John Metchie from the Eagles) and 7th round rookie Luke Lachey on the practice squad. If the Texans are trying to keep the tight end room close to being a plus room, and not a distinct minus, they might need to look for a trade, if Stover will be out for an extended period of time.

    Stover is not alone amongst the walking (or non walking) wounded
    AS you saw in the embedded post above, the best player on the Texans’ offense, according to PFF, was quarterback C.J. Stroud, and he is going to need to be for the foreseeable future, as the injury bug has smashed the Texans’ offense just a week into the season:

    In a season that is a war of attrition, the Houston Texans’ offense has already suffered a bad month’s worth of injuries in the last several days. Tampa Bay is up next.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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    Sean Pendergast

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  • Four Thoughts on the Houston Texans 2024 NFL Draft Class

    Four Thoughts on the Houston Texans 2024 NFL Draft Class

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    When it comes to excitement on NFL Draft weekend, there may never be another weekend like last year, when the Texans selected C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson on back to back picks near the top of the draft. That’s awfully tough for any team to replicate, especially when you consider the early returns on those decisions.

    So for this past weekend, you already knew going in that things would be way more chill for Texans fans, especially with the team waiting until Friday night to make its first pick of the weekend, the 42nd overall pick. In the end, the best description for the Texans’ nine man draft class would be “solid and unspectacular,” and honestly, that’s good enough for where this team is right now.

    That said, a good hype video can even make the unspectacular feel spectacular, so here you go:

    Now that you’re appropriately juiced up, here are a few thoughts on the Texans’ rookie class they assembled over the weekend:

    A message for the folks angry the Texans didn’t draft a wide receiver….
    I saw plenty of upset Texans fans, particularly on Friday night after the second and third rounds, lamenting the fact that the “Texans didn’t get any weapons at wide receiver for C.J. Stroud!” Here is where I remind those people that the Texans DID use draft capital to acquire a weapon for Stroud — they moved back from the 23rd pick to the 42nd pick, and received a 2025 second round pick, which they then flipped for STEFON FREAKING DIGGS, who is a better weapon solution than anybody they could have drafted on Friday. Keep your eye on the ball, folks.

    I think people are going to really like Kamari Lassiter
    At the Texans downtown draft party on Friday night, there was some mild disappointment among Texans fans, when Alabama CB Kool Aid McKinstry went to the Saints one pick before the Texans’ selection. Lassiter, also a cornerback, was the next pick, and it was met with tepid applause from Texan fans who seemed to want McKinstry. Honestly, no disrespect to the fans at the party, but I think most of y’all just wanted a player named “Kool Aid.” If Lassiter’s name were Kool Aid Lassiter, you’d have cheered like the team won a playoff game. Anyway, Lassiter appears to be the exact type of personality that Nick Caserio and DeMeco Ryans are looking for, and if you don’t believe me, listen to his college coach at Georgia, Kirby Smart:

    The biggest surprise was the drafting of offensive lineman Blake Fisher
    I figured the Texans would draft an offensive lineman or two along the way, but I was mildly surprised that they used one of their premium picks on Fisher, who is a really good player, but tackle doesn’t feel like a big need, with Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard locked into new contract extensions they each signed last year. The flip side, though, is that the offensive line sustained a ton of injuries last season, and worst case, Fisher should provide high quality depth. It will be interesting o see if they give Fisher any reps at guard, or if he was drafted solely as a tackle.

    The most intriguing selection was Cade Stover
    I’m not just saying that because world famous streamer Sketch announced the pick, although that certainly didn’t hurt the intrigue:

    Stover, of course, was a teammate of C.J. Stroud’s for two years at Oho State, and he was one of the better tight ends in the country by the time his chose to head to the NFL. However, it’s his journey that makes him interesting. Stover was raised on a farm, a background he very much leans into. After playing running back in high school, he went to Ohio State and started out as a defensive end. He then flipped over to the offensive side of the ball in 2022, so he’s only been playing the tight end position for a couple seasons. In other words, there is a lot of untapped potential there.

    Listen to Sean Pendergast on SportsRadio 610 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays. Also, follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/SeanTPendergast, on Instagram at instagram.com/sean.pendergast, and like him on Facebook at facebook.com/SeanTPendergast.

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    Sean Pendergast

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