In sports, injuries happen. They are a part of the game. In no sport is that adage more true than professional football. Injuries are so embedded in this gladiator endeavor that teams have to put out a report each week on injuries, along with the likelihood of the injured combatants playing in that weekend’s game.
In Houston over the last couple of years, whatever the “normal” injury rate is in football has been amplified by a significant multiplier. Two seasons ago, no team had more games missed due to injury than the Houston Texans, and last season wasn’t far behind. This season, we are already off to a rip roaring start after Sunday’s loss to the Rams.
The most significant of the injuries suffered on Sunday was tight end Cade Stover suffering a broken foot at some point late in the game. With 2:27 remaining in regulation, Stover was in the game, got called for an illegal shift, and then never saw the field again. Given the lack of medical personnel attending to Stover for any reason, the best guess is he suffered the injury moments before this snap, and played through it for a few plays.
According to head coach DeMeco Ryans on Tuesday, Stover will miss some time with the broken foot, but it’s unclear if that means a trip to injured reserve, where Stover would miss at least four games, likely more. This injury is a problem, and here are a few reasons why:
Cade Stover was rapidly improving
Throughout training camp, it was quite evident that Stover came back for his second season ready to make an impact. He was making plays at practice in the passing game, and his blocking in the run game was noticeable. This was translating into the regular season, on Sunday, as well, as Stover graded out very well on Pro Football Focus, where they grade each snap:
Texans Top 5 Graded Players on Offense & Defense vs the Rams (@PFF):
Offense -
C.J. Stroud (73.1)
Cade Stover (70.9)
Dalton Schultz (67.6)
Tytus Howard (66.5)
Cam Robinson (66.3)
Defense -
Will Anderson Jr. (91.0)
Danielle Hunter (86.0)
Azeez Al-Shaair (80.8)
Jaylin Smith… pic.twitter.com/XGnE0eQXcu
— Jacob (@TexansJacob) September 8, 2025
On Sunday, Stover played more snaps than starting tight end Dalton Schultz. In other words, the Texans aren’t just losing a depth piece here. They are losing their best tight end.
Tight end was a position they came into the season already light
Injuries can be dealt with, if there is a reasonable replacement or solution waiting in the wings. The Texans do not have one. Schultz and Stover were the only tight ends on the initial 53 man roster. They do have Harrison Bryant (acquired for WR John Metchie from the Eagles) and 7th round rookie Luke Lachey on the practice squad. If the Texans are trying to keep the tight end room close to being a plus room, and not a distinct minus, they might need to look for a trade, if Stover will be out for an extended period of time.
Stover is not alone amongst the walking (or non walking) wounded
AS you saw in the embedded post above, the best player on the Texans’ offense, according to PFF, was quarterback C.J. Stroud, and he is going to need to be for the foreseeable future, as the injury bug has smashed the Texans’ offense just a week into the season:
We are heading into week 2 with all of these offensive injuries:
RB1 (Not sure he even plays)
WR2
TE2
TE3
TE4
C
RG
With a brand new system and weak OL.
I will pray for C.J. Stroud because good lord.
— Jacob (@TexansJacob) September 8, 2025
In a season that is a war of attrition, the Houston Texans’ offense has already suffered a bad month’s worth of injuries in the last several days. Tampa Bay is up next.
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