One of the few injuries Texas has dealt with early in the season has been Jared Wiley. The tight end’s shoulder has been bothering him throughout fall camp and it’s bled into the first two games.
Wiley played limited snaps in the opener against Louisiana and then completely missed last week’s Arkansas game. Texas ran a lot more one tight end formations and struggled to block the Razorbacks’ defensive front.
Thankfully, it seems as if Texas will be getting Wiley back this weekend against Rice. According to Horns247, he is back in practice and is expected to play against Rice on Saturday.
Tight end Jared Wiley returns to practice, expected to play Saturday in #Texas game vs. #Rice. https://t.co/sms9pEcIzj pic.twitter.com/B85bpEwH0P
— Horns247 (@Horns247) September 15, 2021
Wiley is still listed as TE2 on the depth chart, having an ‘OR’ next to his name with Gunnar Helm. However, it is believed if Wiley is fully healthy, he will be the one to get most of the playing time.
There is more to offer than just extra blocking from Wiley.
It’s no secret Hudson Card struggled throwing the ball downfield in Fayetteville. With Casey Thompson taking over this weekend, getting a receiving tight end back in the lineup should allow Sarkisian to diversify his play calling. The offense needs to get back on track quickly.
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