Head coach Bill O'Brien and the Texans will enter the 2014 season with a familiar face at tight end.
Garrett Graham signed with the team on Thursday. The fifth-year tight end out of Wisconsin is sticking with the franchise that drafted him in the fourth round of 2010's NFL Draft. Naturally, Graham said he was "excited" to remain with the club.
Two-time Pro Bowler Owen Daniels was released by the Texans on Tuesday, and the quartet of tight ends on the roster aside from Graham had combined for just 31 catches, 330 receiving yards a touchdown in their respective careers.
Last season, Graham and Andre Johnson led the Texans with five touchdown catches apiece. In 2013, with Daniels lost for the season after a Week 5 broken leg, Graham set career highs with 49 receptions for 545 yards. He started 11 games last year, after starting in nine in 2012.
"It'll be different with Owen not here," Graham said. "He did a lot of great things here, and he's a good friend of mine. Ryan Griffin will definitely be able to step up and do a lot of great things for us. I think we've got a good group, and it should be fun."
The former Badger has met a few times with the new head coach, and is enthused about the offensive possibilities on the horizon.
"He seems like an all-business kind of guy," Graham said. "I like what he's obviously done in New England. He seems like a very high-character guy, and obviously does a lot with the tight ends."
Graham and the Texans can begin offseason workouts as early as April 7.
