Plenty of Houston Texans players broke out in a big way this past season.
Not only did rookies C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr. and Tank Dell turn into star players in their first seasons, but other players emerged as legitimate contributors for the Texans. Wide receiver Nico Collins put together a 1,000-yard season, defensive end Jonathan Greenard had a career year and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. proved to be a true shutdown corner.
All three had their breakout seasons in 2023, but who will emerge in 2024? A lot of that will depend on what the roster looks like heading into this upcoming season, but Pro Football Focus tabbed backup tight end Brevin Jordan as the top candidate to show up in a big way next season.
Jordan didn’t see much action early in the season after the Texans signed tight end Dalton Schultz this past offseason, but the third-year fifth-round pick showed off his ability in the second half of the season after Schultz missed some time. He caught three receptions on five targets for 64 yards in his first game without Schultz and finished the year with 12 receptions for 168 yards and one touchdown in the final seven games of the season.
His biggest contribution came in the wild-card win over the Cleveland Browns, though. Jordan took a short pass from C.J. Stroud into a 76-yard touchdown at the end of the second quarterback. He reached a top speed of 20 mph on the catch-and-run, which prompted a drug test request from the NFL soon after the game.
BREVIN JORDAN FOR 76 YARDS.
PLAYOFF FOOTBALL IS BACK.
📺: #CLEvsHOU on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/jM781VisSx pic.twitter.com/TYJge0SGrj— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2024
Jordan’s advanced metrics were solid as well for a tight end. He tied for sixth among tight ends in 2023 with 1.89 yards per route run, per PFF, and his receiving yards ranked fourth on the team and ahead of Schultz.
If the Texans don’t re-sign Schultz this offseason (he’s one of 36 impending free agents), Jordan could become Houston’s starting tight end and one Stroud’s go-to targets in 2024.
