Rookie Anderson intent on making cut
Texans rookie Stephen Anderson doesn’t get offended by the hybrid label. Instead, the precocious Cal graduate embraces his flexible status and identity on the football field.
Because of his athleticism, Anderson is routinely the fastest tight end on any roster. Because of his size at 6-2, 235 pounds, he’s much larger than most wide receivers.
And the skills Anderson displayed on the Berkeley campus are translating adeptly to the NFL game.
Bolting into his pass patterns, Anderson has proved a difficult assignment in coverage for linebackers and safeties at training camp.
“When I run my routes, I feel like a receiver,” Anderson said. “When I block, I’m starting to feel more like a tight end. … I don’t want to define it to one position. If they want me to play this, I’ll play this. If they want me to play that, I’ll play. Just a full-on football player.”
NFL offensive coordinators covet that kind of diversity. Anderson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds at February’s scouting combine, where he also registered an eye-popping 38-inch vertical leap.
An honorable-mention All-Pac-12 selection, Anderson caught 87 passes for 1,135 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Although Anderson went undrafted, the Texans beat out several NFL teams when they convinced him to sign a threeyear, $1.625 million contract that included a $5,000 signing bonus. Before the draft, Anderson visited the Miami Dolphins and worked out privately for the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons.
Ladders nothing new
“He’s come out and really put in a great effort every day,” Texans tight ends coach John Perry said. “He’s held true to the Cal mantra of being a smart kid. He’s picked up things very quickly. On top of that, he’s got great athleticism. He’s got good hands.
“His best trait is he continues to work at it. Here’s a kid who’s just climbed the ladder. He walked on at Cal. Now he comes in here as a free agent. He’s taken advantage of opportunities that have been presented to him. So he’s fun to work with, and I can see him continuing to get better.”
Unheralded as a senior coming out of Piedmont Hills High School in San Jose despite catching 83 passes for 1,340 yards and 14 touchdowns and returning two punts for touchdowns, Anderson walked on at Cal and eventually earned a scholarship. There was little doubt he would attend Cal. Both of his parents, his sister and his aunt went there.
Starting at the bottom of a depth chart is something Anderson is accustomed to, but he’s challenging for a roster spot and a potential role as the Texans’ third tight end behind veterans C.J. Fiedorowicz and Ryan Griffin.
“I always have a chip on my shoulder,” Anderson said. “Just like college — I walked on, and now I’m undrafted. So it’s kind of full circle and everything. I definitely feel like I’m capable of playing with everyone who’s first-round or whatever round they went. It keeps me hungry every day.”
Anderson is starting to build a reputation as a rookie capable of beating the odds and creating a niche for himself. Since joining the team in April, he has been singled out frequently by Texans coach Bill O’Brien for his work ethic, intelligence and crisp pass patterns.
“He’s been one of those guys that comes in here and is mature.” O’Brien said. “He’s a hardworking kid. A very, very smart kid. He’s able to line up in a lot of different positions. He’s got good hands. He’s got good route-running ability.
“Now is the true test. When the full pads go on for a young guy like that, how does he perform when he’s pressed or when he has to block somebody?”
Lay of the land
Anderson wasn’t a stranger to Houston when he joined the Texans. He prepared for the scouting combine at Performance Athletic Lab in Katy. The biggest adjustment for him is getting acclimated to the brutal Texas heat.
“It’s crazy how that happened,” Anderson said. “I’m glad I was able to kind of feel out the area before I actually got down here.”
When the Texans travel to practice against and play the San Francisco 49ers in a preseason game this week, Anderson will have a built-in cheering section that includes his mother, Charlene, who has performed unique yodeling and bird calls at his games since his Pop Warner days.
And Anderson will return to Northern California having absorbed a lot of knowledge.
“The mental game, the playbook,” he said when asked about his greatest hurdle so far. “Fortunately, I came from a faster conference. People talk a lot about the speed when you come from college into the NFL, and that hasn’t surprised me a whole bunch.
“It’s just the mental game and how much knowledge everyone has of leverage, of technique and everything. I’m getting to the point where it’s reacting. Every day, I’m picking up something new.”
The true litmus test of Anderson’s progress will come when the Texans cut their roster from its current 90-player limit to 53 players prior to the start of the regular season.
“Making the team is obviously the ultimate goal, but I’m taking it one day at a time,” Anderson said. “Your body is your business. You have to get in the playbook, or you’ll be out of a job.”