The Houston Texans had a hole at the tight end position after Owen Daniels left to sign with the Baltimore Ravens. That allowed Houston to use the first pick of the third round on Iowa tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz. While with the Hawkeyes, Fiedorowicz caught 91 passes for ten touchdowns during his four years but had 75 of those catches and seven touchdowns the final two years. If the Texans are going to have success this season, they are going to need Fiedorowicz to be more than just a blocking tight end.
At 6-6, Fiedorowicz can be an imposing force at the line of scrimmage. He showed during his high school career in northern Illinois that he can split out and be a wide receiver just as much as he was a tight end. He didn’t show much of that in college but did prove he can get into the end zone. Houston needs Fiedorowicz to take on a Daniels-like role in the offense. Daniels was targeted 187 times over the 2011 and 2012 seasons combined. Fiedorowicz isn’t going to get that kind of activity to begin his career but needs to become a safety blanket for whomever the Texans start at quarterback.
The Texans were a middle of the pack team last season in the passing game and targeted Daniels and Garrett Graham 128 times in 2013 with 73 receptions between the two. Graham is still there this season and will likely be the team’s starter to begin the season but there is no reason why Fiedorowicz can’t begin a threat in the red zone and catch 25-30 passes. The Texans need as many offensive options as possible after suffering through a 2-14 season in 2013. A healthy Arian Foster will help but the Andre Johnson situation still doesn’t appear resolved.
If Houston decides to trade Johnson before the season begins, the role of Fiedorowicz goes up even more. Could Fiedorowicz become the next Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski? It is always possible but he is going to need to see the field a lot to make that happen. It would be best for the Texans to find out sooner than later what they got in their third-round pick. Fiedorowicz could end up being the best tight end in this year’s draft behind Eric Ebron if everything works out in his favor. There was quite a lot of excitement in the small town of Johnsburg where Fiedorowicz went to high school when the Texans took him. Hopefully, he can bring that much excitement to Houston fans soon.