Dalton Schultz

At 29.6 years old, Schultz is entering peak decline years for the TE position. Though he had a strong 2025 season (82 rec, 777 yards), his career arc shows diminishing end-zone usage and touchdown production that limits ceiling.

The Texans improved their WR group this offseason with a trade for Christian Kirk and a pair of Day 2 draft picks (Iowa State teammates Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel), directly competing for volume with Schultz in an offense with limited touches.

Cade Stover missed 8 games in 2025; Schultz's career-high 106 targets were partially a vacancy fill. A fully healthy Stover in 2026 projects to reclaim 15-25 targets, directly threatening the volume that underpins Schultz's dynasty value.

Houston spent the 59th overall pick (R2) on TE Marlin Klein and added veteran Foster Moreau, signaling a clear succession plan. Klein projects as a blocker first but is expected to climb to the No. 2 role quickly, capping Schultz's two-year runway.

Schultz left a playoff game early with a calf injury, though Texans GM Nick Caserio said "it's just a calf, I don't think it's gonna be anything major". History of shoulder and back issues compounds aging concerns.

Schultz was targeted only twice inside the opponent's 10-yard line all season in 2025, down from five in 2024. This near-zero red zone usage eliminates any meaningful TD upside despite high target volume.

Houston's offense under their current scheme has shown improvements, and Schultz remains a reliable red-zone target and safety valve for the QB.

Schultz set new career highs with 82 receptions on 106 targets over 17 games, turning that volume into 777 yards and three TDs. He remains the clear #1 TE on Houston's depth chart with reliable snap count safety.

The Texans made their call on Dalton Schultz last year. Cade Stover is waiting in the wings. While Stover hasn't emerged as immediate threat, depth replacement remains a future concern for role security.

C.J. Stroud operating with Nico Collins and Jayden Higgins creates one of the NFL's better passing ecosystems; any TE who secures 70+ targets here has weekly TE1 upside, giving Schultz a credible floor as long as he remains the primary receiving option.

The 2-year, $24.1M extension ($17.6M guaranteed through 2027, $9.5M 2026 cap hit) locks Schultz in as the unquestioned receiving TE1 for 2026 with Klein redshirting.

Schultz was the team's No. 2 in catches and receiving yards with a sizable gap to the next option, giving him a usable veteran TE1 floor for win-now rosters at least one more year.