Jul 24, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans tight end Cade Stover (87) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texans Place Starting TE on Injured Reserve

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 5:21 PM ET

The Houston Texans will be down their starting tight end for at least the next four weeks.

According to KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, the Texans have placed tight end Cade Stover on Injured Reserve following his foot injury vs. the Los Angeles Rams, keeping him sidelined for four weeks at minimum.

Stover suffered from a hairline fracture in his foot during the final drive of the Texans' season opener vs. the Rams, and acted as the Week 1 starter while he was on the field, logging a team-high four catches for 22 yards.

But he'll now be out for nearly a month, and with the Texans' bye looming in Week 6, it puts Stover on track to be back in the lineup during Week 7, which would be a road matchup vs. the Seattle Seahawks.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans addressed Stover's injury during his press conference on Tuesday.

“Stover hurt his foot, so he’ll miss some time,” said Ryans. “I really hate that. He’s playing tough, physical, exactly how we want it done. So, he’ll miss some time. We’ll have to upgrade our tight end room from that perspective.”

Stover will now be the third Texans tight end to land on the Injured Reserve list early this season. Both Brevin Jordan and Irv Smith Jr. would be placed on season-ending IR ahead of Week 1, and now leaves Houston's tight end room with one less name heading into Week 2.

On Wednesday, the Texans reportedly signed practice squad tight end Harrison Bryant to the 53-man roster, acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles before the regular season kicked off, giving Houston two active tight ends between Bryant and veteran Dalton Schultz for their Monday Night Football contest vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Stover, the 6-foot-4, 251-pound tight end, is entering his second year in the NFL after starting as a fourth-round pick back in 2024. He finished his first season logging 15 total receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown through nine starts.

Expect Stover to return for Houston at some point in the middle of this season, but for the near future, he'll be out of the mix.