Tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz returned to practice today, and the Texans have officially designated him to return from injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
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Houston infamously lost all three of its tight ends — Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin, and Stephen Anderson — to concussions in Week 1, but Fiedorowicz’s was the most severe. Given that he had also suffered a concussion during the preseason, Fiedorowicz was placed on IR, as the Texans opted not to further risk his health.
The Texans never did replace Fiedorowicz with another tight end, so Griffin and Anderson have handled the position for the Houston’s 12th-ranked-DVOA offense. Griffin is third on the club with 12 receptions, and has also graded as an above-average run-blocker (No. 24 among 69 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus). Anderson, a second-year pro, has managed nine catches for 136 yards.
Fiedorowicz, 26, was a major part of the Texans’ offense in 2016, as his 89 targets represented 15% of Houston’s target share. All told, he posted 54 receptions for 559 yards and four touchdowns, easily the best marks of his NFL career. The Texans rewarded Fiedorowicz with a contract extension just before the start of the season, inking him to a three-year, $23.5MM extension that locks him up through the 2021 campaign.