HOUSTON – Texans tight end Cade Stover is being activated for a Sunday road game against the Tennessee Titans after being designated for return this week, per league sources.
Stover has made a full recovery after breaking his foot in the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams and undergoing surgery.
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Stover is a key player, catching a team-high four passes thrown to him against the Rams. He doubles as a hard-nosed blocker who was a big factor in the running game.
Starting tight end Dalton Schultz is good to go for Sunday despite a shoulder injury and illness. He has no injury designation. The Texans ruled out tight end Harrison Bryant due to neck and shoulder injuries.
The Texans are elevating safety Jalen Mills and cornerback Ajani Carter, per sources.
The Texans later made these moves official and activated fullback Jakob Johnson after designating him from return, and placed tight end Harrison Bryant on injured reserve with neck and shoulder injuries.
Jalen Pitre is out for this game with a concussion and Mills may wind up playing a lot at safety with Myles Bryant filling in for Pitre at nickel. Damon Arnette, who was signed to the 53-man roster last week, is out with an ankle injury sustained Friday at practice. He was waived from the active roster.
Mills, 31, is a Dallas native who played collegiately at LSU. He played last season for the New York Giants and New York Jets.
He won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles and then played three seasons for the New England Patriots.
A former first-team All-American, Mills has recorded 452 career tackles and eight interceptions. This is his second elevation of the season.
Carter is a former University of Houston who went undrafted and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs.
A Utah State transfer, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound former all-district wide receiver tied for third on the Coogs last year with three pass breakups and allowed one or no catches in six games. He played 453 snaps, 360 on defense and 92 on special teams.
At Utah State, he intercepted four passes overall.
He had 33 catches for 495 yards and seven touchdowns i n high school on a state championship squad, beating Duncanville as part of a 16-0 season. He also played baseball and ran track.
Stover overcame an emergency appendectomy last season in December and offseason shoulder surgery to get back on the field.
“He’s tough,” Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. “You turn on the tape, you guys have all seen it. He plays with his hair on fire. There is no substitute for that. I appreciate the way he plays the game. I’ve had a lot of respect for him dating back to his days at Ohio State.”
The 6-foot-4, 251-pound former All-Big Ten Conference selection caught 15 passes for 133 yards and one touchdown as a rookie in 15 games and nine starts. He was targeted 22 times overall and had five first downs and a long reception of 27 yards.
When the Texans drafted Stover last year, the enthusiasm from Caserio and coach Ryans was obvious.
The work ethic and passion for the game Stover possesses prompted the Texans to draft the Ohio native.
“Whatever it is, it’s elite,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said of Stover. “This guy is as tough, hard-nosed a player they had in the program. This is probably one of our favorite football players in the entire draft, regardless of position, because of his mentality, because of his mindset. And he still is developing as a player. Blue-collar as they come. Makeup, traits, toughness, mentality, this is an elite guy.”
Signed to a four-year, $4.758 million deal that includes a $1.189 million signing bonus, Stover was acquired after a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Texans traded their 127th overall pick of the fourth round and a 2025 fifth-round pick to select Stover 123rd overall.
He caught 41 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns in his final season for the Buckeyes. He was a finalist for the John Mackey award.
“I kind of still see the game through a defensive lens,” Stover said. “I was born with that, I keep that defensive mentality no matter where I’m at. I just try to play offense with that same mentality and recklessness. I love blocking. I’m going to throw my face in the fire every chance I get.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com