Fiedorowicz, Ellington land on injured reserve
The Texans’ hard-luck season took another rough turn Tuesday when a third concussion forced starting tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz to be placed on injured reserve. The Texans also put starting wide receiver Bruce Ellington on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. This marks the second time this year the Texans have had to shut down Fiedorowicz, who was previously activated from injured reserve-designated to return. He missed eight games after suffering his second concussion of the season during the season-opening loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Texans are concerned Fiedorowicz, who was signed to a three-year, $21.5 million contract extension prior to the start of the regular season, is now prone to head injuries.
He finishes the season with 14 catches for 127 yards.
The Texans replaced him on the active roster by promoting former Minnesota Vikings tight end MyCole Pruitt from the practice squad.
Ellington, a free-agent find, caught a career-high 29 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns this season.
He was replaced on the roster by wide receiver DeAndrew White, who was promoted from the practice squad.
The Texans also signed wide receiver Devin Lucien and cornerback Josh Thornton to the practice squad.
With Fiedorowicz out for the remainder of the season, the Texans will count heavily on tight end Stephen Anderson.
He was the last man standing for the Texans’ tight ends in Sunday’s 2413 loss to the Tennessee Titans.
The former undrafted free agent from the University of California had to step in as the lone healthy tight end on the roster when Fiedorowicz got hurt.
Despite the adverse circumstances, Anderson delivered his top performance in his second NFL season. He caught a career-high five passes for 79 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tom Savage that gave the Texans a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter.
“He played probably the best game he’s played since he’s been here,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “We have a lot of respect for Stephen. He’s a very intelligent player, he’s a smart player, he’s a tough guy. Undersized guy with some of the things that we do with him, but he made some big plays. He’s kind of a tweener player. He was a wide receiver at Cal, and we projected him to be what we call an ‘F’ tight end, and that’s kind of what he does for us.
“We ask him to do some things within the core of the offense, within the core of the front, blocking-wise and things like that. I mean, he does a lot of things other than the passing game, and I thought he played a heck of a game.”
For the season, Anderson has caught 22 passes for 322 yards and one touchdown. Anderson also converted a key fourth down with a reception prior to a game-sealing interception thrown by Savage.
“It’s being sound with the game plan and being sound with the matchups and who can do what,” Anderson said. “Just taking advantage of every opportunity. We know we can make plays. We’re just a little beat up right now.”