HOUSTON — With the hiring of DeMeco Ryans as head coach, the Houston Texans have taken on plenty of mantras such as “S.W.A.R.M.” and “Iron Sharpens Iron.” Another one that they may need to put on a t-shirt is “Next Man Up,” especially with the number of injuries they have sustained during training camp.
The offensive side of the ball has been hit the hardest with starting offensive lineman Scott Quessenberry (ACL, MCL) out for the season and Tytus Howard (hand) out for 4-6 weeks. The tight ends group had to manage without reserve tight ends Brevin Jordan and Teagen Quitoriano for most of the camp but received good news before the start of practice on Saturday when Quitoriano was activated from the physically-unable-to-perform list.
With Dalton Schultz having to miss some practices after taking a vicious blow from safety Jimmie Ward during team drills, tight ends coach Jake Moreland has had to rely on some of the guys looking for an opportunity to get more reps once the regular season starts.
“The room has that next man up mentality,” said tight ends coach Jake Moreland. “Everybody is ready at any given second, so if somebody goes down, obviously it is unfortunate, but when we keep playing, the next guy is ready to step in and do what he can to continue to help the team in that rep.”
One player who has been making the most of his opportunity is Mason Schreck. He has stood out for his reliability when running routes and has shown to be a good blocker which is very important in new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s offense.
“The room has that next man up mentality,” said Texans TE coach Jake Moreland about other players stepping up in the absences of some of the tight ends who has missed time due to injuries. #Texans #Sarge @TheTexansWire pic.twitter.com/Q0jETfxvG1
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) August 13, 2023
The former Cincinnati Bengals player was a reliable target for rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud in Schultz’s absence during camp and had two receptions for 17 yards in the Texans’ first preseason game against the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
Houston will be looking for significant production from Dalton Shultz, whom they signed in the offseason after spending his first five years in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys. Moreland believes that if they can get the production, he had his last three seasons where he amassed 199 receptions and 2,000 yards.
“He has been very productive since he has been in the league,” Moreland said about Schultz at the conclusion of practice. “He is a really good voice in the room.”
