The Houston Texans spent much of their offseason focusing their attention on bulking up their protection for quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Pro Bowl QB was sacked an astonishing 62 times in 2018, and they know that with the AFC full of competitive sides this season if they wish to remain in the mix they have to find a solution.
It has been well covered how much of their recruitment was focused on the offensive line, bringing in rookies Tytus Howard and Max Scharping in the draft, as well as veteran Matt Kalil. Fortunately for Houston, they will also have veteran tackle Seantrel Henderson back this season after he missed all but one game in 2018 due to injury.
But to his credit, Bill O’Brien made a smart move in looking elsewhere for support for the line, by bringing in two blocking tight ends.
Veteran Darren Fells is comfortably one of the NFL’s better blocking tight ends, with the 33-year old having played in the league since 2013. But, they may well have found a long term solution in the third round of this year’s draft in San Diego State’s Kahale Warring.
There has been a great deal of buzz surrounding Warring for his frame and athleticism, and rightfully so. At 6-5 and 252 pounds, the 22-year old has minimal football experience but has spent his life surrounded by sports, with experience in tennis, cross country, water polo and more.
Having only been activated from the non-football injury list this Wednesday thanks to a strained hamstring, little has been seen of him since he impressed at OTAs with a number of athletic catches.
On Wednesday, he showed another reason why the Texans brought him in and flashed a little bit of Fells-esque playmaking in an excellent block.
Warring is coming out of a college program that may be small but does involve a lot of tight end blocking, so he has some experience. Throw in his big frame and good strength, and the Texans essentially have themselves a sixth lineman when needed. But, unlike Fells Warring is also a very capable playmaker and could be a threat in the receiving game as well.
A big guy who will be tough to bring down and can provide some much-needed blocking for Watson? Perhaps for the second straight year, Houston has nailed their third-round picks.
