Stefon Diggs made his first catch as a member of the Houston Texans for a first down.
Nico Collins showed last season wasn’t a fluke with a 24-yard catch-and-run during the first quarter against the New York Giants on Saturday afternoon.
Even Tank Dell made a highlight grab for a gain of 23 before being negated because of a holding call.
But C.J. Stroud’s top target in a 28-10 win over the Giants wasn’t one of perhaps the NFL’s top receiver trios. Instead, it was last year’s security blanket Dalton Schultz, who might end up being the biggest surprise of Houston’s “five-headed monster.”
“Dalton is a reliable, trustworthy player. He finds a way to get open, especially third down,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Thursday. “He has really great hands. He’s always like in between the hashes right there. He’s able to make a play, and he’s available for C.J. to get the ball to him. Dalton has done that his entire career.”
CJ Stroud on Dalton Schultz & the Tight End room pic.twitter.com/yNialoaa6O
— Houston Stressans (@TexansCommenter) August 18, 2024
By the end of the first quarter, Schultz led all starters with three catches for 39 yards. He consistently found creases in the defense for opportunities to strike, though Stroud wanted to get others involved in the aerial attack.
Perhaps that security was best on display on 2nd-and-10 at the 1-yard line when Stroud took a deep shot across the middle for a gain of 26, his longest pass of the day. That was enough to get Houston out of the end zone for a potential safety.
“He’s done a good job for us since he’s been here,” Ryans said. “I think C.J. sees that and he knows that he’s a reliable target.”
After spending five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Schultz bet on himself by signing a one-year deal with Houston last offseason. Not only did he finish top-12 among tight ends in every receiving metric, but he was one of the Texans’ most targeted players on third down.
Houston rewarded him with a new three-year extension worth $36 million before free agency began.
“Dalton is a vet’s vet,” Stroud said postgame. “He’s somebody that comes in and works hard every day. Not only just on the field is he a mismatch and somebody who can create separation and do a lot of great things, but also he’s just a great leader.”
#Texans HC DeMeco Ryans: "Dalton Schultz has been a consistent player, espeically on third down. He's been that way for us since he got here and I think C.J. has seen that."
Schultz led all starters with three catches for 39 yards.
— Cole Thompson (@MrColeThompson) August 17, 2024
The Texans’ seventh-ranked passing attack could improve with the addition of Diggs, a four-time Pro Bowler and six-time 1,000-yard receiver. Since joining the Bills in 2020, he’s averaged 103 receptions and over 1,100 yards per year.
Dell was on pace for a 1,200-yard rookie campaign before suffering a broken leg in early December.
Collins, who signed a three-year extension before summer workouts, might be the next Pro Bowl target to follow in the footsteps of DeAndre Hopkins and Hall of Fame receiver Andre Johnson.
All three receivers could surpass the 1,000-yard marker before the season’s end, but Schultz will remain a factor in the passing attack. His consistency serves as a trustworthy option for Stroud across the middle of the field.
“If you’re open, you get the ball,” Stroud said. “That’s kind of just how football is. It’s up to my job to spread it and throw it to the guys who are open. I think all five positions, skill positions, do a great job of that.”
