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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mark Lane

Texans TE Darren Fells provides an intelligent target for QB Deshaun Watson

Tight end Darren Fells has had a career year with the Houston Texans.

The 33-year-old former minor league basketball player has hauled in six touchdown catches with the Texans, a new single season high. Fells has also managed a new high of 24 catches for 245 yards, which are 66 yards away from tying his previous high for receiving yards.

Quarterback Deshaun Watson doesn’t credit Fells’ 6-7, 270-pound frame for the targets so much as his intelligence.

“Just kind of throw the ball in his direction, he’s going to make plays, he’s going to catch it, strong hands,” Watson told reporters after the 26-3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London. “Football IQ is very, very high. And he’s just, he just makes those incredible catches. I’m blessed to be able to play with a guy like him and have a teammate, a brother like him and he makes my job a lot easier.”

Because of Fells’ size, he can’t really be covered by a safety or even a cornerback, which makes him a matchup mismatch.

“You have to try to put a linebacker on him, but he can do things that receivers can do,” said Watson. “He can block, he can pass, run routes. He can do it all. So the chemistry we have been building each and every week, you know, he’s seeing the same set of eyes as me on the field.”

On the season, Watson has actually thrown eight touchdowns this season to tight ends with second-year tight end Jordan Akins catching two of them. As the Texans’ passing game looks to have fully incorporated tight ends, Watson knows they still have work to do with seven games to go.

“We just got to continue to improve on it,” said Watson.

The Texans are 6-3 on the season and head into their Week 10 bye.

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