On Tuesday night, it was reported that the Houston Texans had signed New York Jets fullback Nick Bawden to a one-year deal.
Now, there’s an answer for who he’s replacing.
According to KPRC 2 Sports’ Aaron Wilson, tight end/fullback Dalton Keene suffered a torn ACL and will be placed on the injured reserve, missing the rest of the 2024 season. Keene wasn’t a sure-fire to make the roster, but he’ll be back to compete for reps when healthy next offseason.
Tough break for #Texans tight end-fullback Dalton Keene. Tore his anterior cruciate ligament against #Giants per a league source and was placed on injured reserve today ending his season @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 21, 2024
Keene has bounced around from the practice squad and active roster during his time in Houston since 2022. Last season, he played in Week 9’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 22 snaps. He returned to the practice squad the following week and never returned to the lineup en route to Houston’s run for a postseason berth.
A trip to the IR isn’t new for Keene, a former third-round pick out of Virginia Tech by the New England Patriots in 2020. During his second season with the Patriots, he was sidelined for the entire 2021 campaign with a knee injury.
The Texans were content with their tight end room thanks to the emergence of Cade Stover and Brevin Jordan. Keene and Jordan play similar positions, but the latter offers perhaps more upside in the passing game.
Sources: #Texans TE Dalton Keene suffered a torn ACL on Saturday vs the #Giants and will miss the entire 2024 NFL season. A brutal blow for the former 3rd-round pick out of Virginia Tech. pic.twitter.com/I2glMqkn4J
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 21, 2024
Keene will look to rehabilitate during the regular season and rebound for offseason workouts next spring.
The Texans will close training camp with their final preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday at noon.