Tight ends coach Tim Berbenich gave it away on Feb. 22 when he told reporters that the new offense under offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton would be a, “tight end driven offense for sure.”
It didn’t take long for Houston Texans tight end Pharaoh Brown to realize that he could have a big year in his sixth NFL season, his third with the Texans.
History shows that this has been a very tight end friendly offense everywhere Pep has been, Stanford, [Indianapolis] Colts, at Michigan,” Brown told reporters after mandatory minicamp Tuesday at Houston Methodist Training Center. “I don’t think the trend will change. It’s a great opportunity for me and Brevin [Jordan]. Just helping the young guys. It’s really just day by day. Day by day, and that’s it.”
Brown made his case for the Texans to keep him around in 2020 when he caught 14 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns through 13 games, nine of which he started. As a followup in 2021, Brown caught 23 passes for 171 yards through 15 games and 12 starts.
The former 2017 undrafted free agent from Oregon has witnessed his career slowly ascend. 2022 may be the year it finally takes off, but Brown realizes the success starts internally.
“I feel like I can accomplish a lot this year,” said Brown. “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 will have to keep younger tight ends at bay with Jordan, fifth-round pick Teagan Quitoriano, and sixth-year tight end Antony Auclair vying for reps.
