Pharaoh Brown is banking on himself in 2022.
The 6-6, 258-pound tight end met with reporters during mandatory minicamp on June 14 and was unabashed about what he believed he could accomplish in his third season with the Houston Texans.
“I feel like I can accomplish a lot this year,” Brown said. “Really just taking it day by day, one-day focus for me. I’m comfortable. I’ve been meeting with the quarterbacks all year, so getting on the same page with them is really big. Just knowing where they want me to be, where I want to be. The game has just slowed down understanding all the fine line details. That’s going to help me be an All-Pro this year.”
Brown having an All-Pro season would be historic as he would be the first Texans tight end in team history to earn the honor. Not even Owen Daniels was able to achieve first-team All-Pro, even though he had two Pro Bowl seasons in 2008 and 2012.
What Daniels was able to do was have the best season for a tight end in 2008. The former 2006 fourth-round pick from Wisconsin caught 70 passes for 862 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels would catch more in 2012 with six, but the catches and receiving yards are still franchise single-season records.
Brown’s best season was when he caught 23 passes for 171 yards through his 15 games, 12 of which he started.
For Brown to approach Daniels’ numbers, he will need to play the season’s full complement of games as Daniels did in 2008 with 16. Brown gets the advantage of an extra game.
Daniels averaged 4.4 catches a game and had a 12.3 yards per reception in 2008. The best game of Brown’s career was in Week 1 when he caught four passes for 67 yards in a 37-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Brown will effectively need to repeat his career game every time he suits up for Houston in 2022. The catches would put him at 68, just two shy of Daniels’ 70, but the yardage would reach 1,139 and set a new franchise record for tight ends.
In addition to playing in a tight end friendly offense schemed by offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, Brown has been working with the quarterbacks in the offseason to ensure he is on the same page.
“I think he’s looked extremely well this offseason,” quarterback Davis Mills said June 14. “He’s running some really good routes. Has a really good first step, has been really explosive this offseason. I’m looking forward to getting out on the field with him.”
If the Texans are able to get Brown to play at a high level, it would give them an effective tight end, which can only benefit Mills as he makes his case as Houston’s answer under center.
