(SportsRadio 610) - Only one tight end was on the Texans' roster at the start of NFL free agency.
To address this, Houston is bringing back two of its own free agent tight ends in Pharaoh Brown and Antony Auclair.
Brown has started 21 out of 28 games played for Houston over the past two seasons, including 12 starts last year. Auclair, who primarily serves as an extra blocker, started 13 games for Houston last season.
Both players provide the Texans with size at that position, each checking in at 6'6" and close to 260 pounds.
Tight end will be essential in the Texans' new scheme under offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton, who is known to run power sets in the run game.
Brown had 171 receiving yards on 23 catches and 34 targets last season. Auclair caught all five of his targets for 47 yarfds and a touchdown in 2021.
When Texans head coach Lovie Smith spoke earlier this month from the NFL Scouting Combine, he told reporters he like the tight ends Houston had last year.
General manager Nick Caserio also acknowledged it was a position for the Texans to evaluate and to expect new faces at the position.
"A lot of the running game is a product of who you have on the line of scrimmage, and the offensive line is a part of that, as well," Caserio said March 1. "Really, it's a function of what's going on on the other side of the ball, as well. I would say similar to the running back discussion, that's probably a market that we're going to evaluate and just try to figure out who makes the most sense for our team here."