Fiedorowicz put on IR; Baylis likely to fill in
Texans starting tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz was placed on injured reserve Tuesday in the wake of suffering a pair of concussions during the past few weeks.
The concern with Fiedorowicz surrounded how he suffered two concussions during a short span of time with his latest happening during a 29-7 loss Sunday to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Under NFL rules governing injured reserve, Fiedorowicz is eligible to return to practice in six weeks and can play again after spending eight weeks on injured reserve.
Fiedorowicz had a concussion in the preseason, but he passed the mandatory baseline neurological exam before being cleared to play in the opener. He recently signed a threeyear, $21.5 million contract extension.
With Fiedorowicz out along with tight ends Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson with concussions, the Texans are expected to promote rookie tight end Evan Baylis from the practice squad. Baylis is a 6-6, 255-pound undrafted free agent from Oregon.
“He did some good things,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “He’s a smart kid, caught the ball well, worked very hard. He’s a little bit light, but he blocked OK for what we asked him to do.”
The Texans also can utilize offensive linemen as blocking tight ends, as they’ve done in the past.
“Absolutely, there’s plenty of guys that can play the role of a blocker close to the ball,” O’Brien said.