When the Texans began practice Thursday, veteran tight end Dalton Schultz was absent due to a hamstring injury that prevented him from playing last Sunday and kept him from participating fully on Wednesday.
With Schultz potentially set to miss another game Sunday against the New York Jets, the Texans are confident in the skills of backup tight end Brevin Jordan following his impressive performance in a win over the Denver Broncos.
Jordan generated a career-high 64 receiving yards on three receptions in a 22-17 win pivotal to the Texans’ playoff outlook.
“He played with a passion and fire that you could feel from the sideline,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “I felt it in pregame. With how he prepared throughout the week, I just could tell he was going to have a big game. He played physical. He had explosiveness in the passing game. He did a really great job.”
For the Texans, who got Pro Bowl left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil back at practice Wednesday after his usual rest day for his lingering knee issue as well as safety Jimmie Ward practicing after being held out for one day with a shoulder contusion and wide receiver Robert Woods after a rest day with right tackle George Fant still sidelined with a hip injury, Jordan is emerging as a reliable option.
If Schultz is out one week after rookie wide receiver Tank Dell broke his left fibula, that subtracts a productive player from the lineup. He has 40 receptions for 455 yards and five touchdowns this season on 61 targets.
A former fifth-round draft pick from the University of Miami, Jordan is a Las Vegas native who has nine catches for 124 yards and one touchdown this season. He was targeted a season-high five times against the Broncos and has 43 career receptions for 430 yards and four touchdowns.
Jordan did Sunday. He averaged 21.3 yards per catch and was responsible for two of the Texans’ five most explosive offensive plays.
In the first quarter, Jordan took a short pass on the left side from quarterback C.J. Stroud for 27 yards before being pushed out of bounds. In the second quarter, he took another short Stroud throw, this one from the right side, for 24 yards.
“It’s a confidence-booster,” Jordan said. “Whatever they need me to do, I’m going to go out there and do it. Whether they need me to block, special teams, receive the ball. I’m just going to go out there and do my job to the fullest.”
The Texans are 7-5 overall and in the thick of the playoff race after going a combined 11-38-1 over the previous three seasons, including two losing seasons Jordan endured.
“I’m excited,” Jordan said. “The last two years have been rough. Three-game, four-game win seasons, it’s been tough. For us, we’ve killed all doubt. Everybody said we’d win three or four games this year or whatever. It’s not the same Houston Texans. For us to be in this position, we’ve worked for this. We expected this fully.”
Jordan has started six of 29 career games. Although he’s far off his career-best production of his rookie season of 20 catches for 178 yards and three touchdowns, Jordan is a contributor on a potential playoff squad.
“The opportunities I got called to do, I felt like I tried to go out there and maximize them,” Jordan said. “Watching it, there’s still so much I’ve got to improve on. Still so much I’ve got to be better on. Pass protection, running routes, everything. I just want to be able to capitalize on the opportunities that I get."
Aaron Wilson is a contributor to Sports Talk 790.