Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo (85) is introduced before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Texans Considered Top Trade Fit for Titans TE

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 5:15 PM ET

The Houston Texans saw their tight end room take a hit early in the season amid Cade Stover's injury in Week 1–– as the starting tight end would go down with a broken foot that would place him on Injured Reserve, without a clear timetable of when exactly he'll be ready to get back into the action.

And since then, Dalton Schultz has remained a quality fill-in for those tight end reps in Houston. But with the NFL trade deadline now only a few weeks away, perhaps there could be a chance the Texans brass pokes around the market to see whether they could add another solid name to solidify that depth at the position group.

In the eyes of Pro Football Focus' Bradley Locker, a name worth watching for the Texans could be Tennessee Titans tight end Chig Okonkwo–– named among his top 20 trade candidates around the league, and someone that Houston should be keeping eyes on.

"Okonkwo erupted as an under-the-radar rookie in 2022, compiling an 84.6 PFF receiving grade and 2.62 yards per route run. Since then, though, he’s yet to match that prolific play, finishing with no better than a 65.5 receiving mark in the three years after," Locker wrote. "One positive element in Okonkwo’s performance is that his pass blocking has improved, culminating in a 74.8 PFF pass-blocking grade — the 16th-best mark among qualified tight ends."

"The tight end trade and free agent markets will be relatively saturated — but Okonkwo, still 26, possesses upside... Houston could use a player like Okonkwo, as the Texans sit 29th in team PFF pass-blocking grade at tight end."

Okonkwo might not be an addition that'll break league headlines, but he fills a necessary role in the Texans offense that could come at a time of need.

Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

So far this season, Okonkwo has logged 23 receptions for 218 yards through six games, which would actually pan out to be his highest yards per game since being drafted back in 2022.

That's also been in a dysfunctional situation with Tennessee and their struggling offense. With a new signal caller in C.J. Stroud and a fresh offensive system to run with in Houston, maybe that could provide a spark for Okonkwo to take an even bigger step forward in the passing game, while showing out as a blocker as well.

Time will tell if Okonkwo hits the block as a premier trade tatget in Tennessee, but with the way things are trending in Tennessee, it's hard to see many players onboard their roster not being up for grabs at the right price.

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