Kahale Warring missed his entire rookie season due to his placement on injured reserve related to a concussion.
The Houston Texans were trimming their roster down to 53 men at the end of preseason, and Warring was still in the concussion protocol. The club made the move, and Warring lost his rookie year.
Houston’s tight end group flourished with Darren Fells and Jordan Akins. Fells tied receiver DeAndre Hopkins for the most touchdown catches on the team with seven, and Akins had the most receiving yards by a tight end with 418, the fourth-most on the team.
There doesn’t seem to be a place for Warring, but the Texans still have great expectations for their Round 3 selection from the 2019 NFL Draft.
“The expectation for Kahale is for him to be on top of his game mentally when he comes in, just like all of them, and be able to compete for a spot once we get on the grass,” offensive coordinator Tim Kelly told reporters on Wednesday.
Akins is a favorite to be the starting tight end while Fells has carved out a niche as a red zone threat. That would leave Warring battling with former 2018 sixth-round pick Jordan Thomas for a spot on the game day roster, if not the new 55-man regular season roster.
“That entire room with Akins, Jordan Thomas, Fells and Kahale, they’re doing a great job coming here and working with [tight ends coach] Will Lawing and making sure that they’re on top of it,” said Kelly.
The Texans need to get something in return from Warring. Houston drafted the San Diego State product with their 86th overall pick in 2019. At the time, the selection appeared to be redundant due to Thomas and Akins being selected the year prior, Fells having been signed that offseason, and Ryan Griffin on the roster.
If Warring can avoid any developmental hiccups as the club goes to training camp, at 6-6, 250 pounds, the former water polo player should be able to compete for playing time in Kelly’s offense.