Dalton Schultz

Houston's R2 investment in Marlin Klein (No. 59 overall) is an explicit succession signal — the Texans organization publicly framed Klein as an 'eventual replacement' for Schultz, compressing his dynasty window to roughly one contract year.

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.

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.

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

CJ Stroud is a top-10 QB with established TE chemistry, and the Texans' pass-heavy system provides a reliable floor — Schultz finished 2025 as the team's second-leading receiver behind Nico Collins.

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.