Fishing For Success: Why Texans TE Brevin Jordan Is Can't-Miss Breakout Star
HOUSTON -- There's an infectious glow hovering around Houston Texans tight end Brevin Jordan every time he speaks. It doesn't take much for him to get pumped, either.
Whenever discussing new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton's play design, he grins ear to ear, knowing his role is set expand. The smile widens when talking about his hero, the late Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, and the impact he left on fans both from behind the arc and off the court.
And don't get him started on the future of Miami football. A Hurricane alum that remains close to the program, his giddiness makes it seem as if he's a youngling being introduced to Fourth of July fireworks.
"Woo!" Jordan yells when Mario Cristobal's name is mentioned, bouncing back and forth on his toes. "Everything is off the chain right now in Miami, man."
Where does the personality come from? Better yet, how does the energy live on during each practice in the scorching 100-degree Texas heat? Does he know when the camera is rolling?
Nope. That's just Brevin.
"[He's the] same way," offensive lineman A.J. Cann says of Jordan behind closed doors. "That cat's got a good personality."
“He's just an overall funny guy," fellow tight end Pharaoh Brown says. "He’s just naturally just funny."
Sin City living
Is the high-roller lifestyle that his native Las Vegas is known for the power behind his exuberant personality? Jordan says no; his friends who still call the 702-area code home are laid-back. But Jordan's parents allowed him to embrace his personality. As a child, Beverly Jordan likely aspired for her son to dream big, but she wanted something else first.
Beverly prayed for Brevin to possess the confidence to believe in himself, first. The rest, she believed, would fall into place. His father, Darrell, instilled the same message of possessing self-worth and self-love.
"I've always just tried to live through that," Jordan says of his parents' teaching.
That confidence carried over to the gridiron at a young age. Following in his dad's footsteps, Brevin became one of the top tight end prospects in the country while at Bishop Gorman High School.
Offers came flying in. Alabama wanted him. So did Auburn. Michigan sent a representative to try and recruit Jordan to play in Ann Arbor as a member of the 2018 recruiting class.
The recruiter? Pep Hamilton.
"I knew Pep's history, I knew how multi-tight-end his system was," Jordan said. "Once he was named offensive coordinator (in Houston) I was jumping through the roof."
Jordan committed to Miami's class and became an immediate factor. As a freshman, he tallied 32 catches and four touchdowns, and a year later, 35 catches and two touchdowns.
Jordan's final season was his best, though COVID-19 hampered Miami's overall status, leading to an 8-3 finish. That didn't stop the then-19-year-old from recording 38 receptions for 576 yards and seven touchdowns.
In the offseason, he'd go pro.
Rookie Ropes
When Owen Daniels arrived in Houston as a rookie from Wisconsin, he made his presence felt almost immediately. Most fourth-rounders barely see playing time behind veterans, let alone fight for starting reps.
Not Daniels. His impact propelled Houston's passing attack from 30th to 27th during the 2006 season. His 34 catches for 354 yards still remains a rookie record at tight end. It would be the start of a two-time Pro Bowl career as well.
Maybe Jordan, a fifth-round pick, could have surpassed the marker last season if given more reps. Throughout practice, he'd consistently make highlight catches intermingling between first- and second-team offense.
But when game day arrived, Jordan was nowhere to be found. Then-coach David Culley elected to make him inactive for the first seven games of the season.
"It wasn't that it was frustrating to me, it was more just me champing at the bit," Jordan recalls. "I was just ready to go, show what I could do and you, once they unleashed me, I was ready to go."
Jordan isn't afraid to admit that the transition from college to the pros takes time at tight end. Defensive linemen are bigger. They're faster coming out of the breaks, too. Blocking is essential.
Once Culley activated Jordan, there was no turning back. Against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, Jordan's second catch would come in the form of a 9-yard touchdown. Three games later against the New York, he hauled in a 13-yard snag from Tyrod Taylor for another score.
Soon after, Jordan became a go-to guy on third down and in the red zone. His 20 receptions rank second all-time among Texans' rookie tight ends behind Daniels. His three touchdowns were tied for the second-most on the roster with receiver Danny Amendola.
"Brevin is a good match-up," Texans coach Lovie Smith said. "He's a tight end. He’s a big receiver. Against linebacker safeties, we should have the advantage."
Fishing For Big Goals
Two F's run in the Jordan family; football and fishing. Darrell Jordan played college ball at Northern Arizona before being drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 1999. He also implanted a love in a four-year-old for casting lines and reeling catfish, bluegill and bass along rivers and lakes out West.
As a "young'un," Brevin Jordan and his grandfather would leave the lights of Las Vegas and travel to Arizona or Utah to "crank them out." Bluegills and swordfish were often on the menu, but Brevin believes crappies make the best meal.
When he moved to Miami, deep-sea fishing was added to the docket. Being out in the open ocean certainly has its differences from sitting creekside, one of which included facing his fears of jellyfish and sharks.
"Personally, throw me in a lake," Jordan joked. "but I like both.”
He has stories galore of his time out off the coast of Biscayne Bay and Elliot Key. There was the time he battled a 120-pound tuna, reeling him after noticing how that fish "got a fight to him."
Jordan won the match and the tuna paid the price.
“Rest in peace, that tuna!” Jordan laughs.
It's a hobby Jordan hopes to start up again when the season finishes. While on a retreat in Oregon with several other Texans players, he picked up a pole and began trying to catch dinner. Several got away from him. Was it because the hook was too small?
"I was out there casting them, bro," Jordan said. "It was crazy.”
Laying Foundation
Pick a day in training camp practice and the results are likely the same. Second-year quarterback Davis Mills calls a play in the huddle and gets situated behind the line of scrimmage. As the ball reaches his hands, he already has a sense of where he's going.
If six-time 1,000-yard receiver Brandin Cooks is covered, Jordan's often the next target. Like clockwork, Mills connects in stride with the 6-3 tight end. Often while running 7-on-7 drill, the quarterback finds Jordan across the middle, waltzing his way into the end zone for the easy score.
"There you go, B!" second-year receiver Nico Collins screamed after one play where Jordan split a pair of defenders. A celebration soon followed, the tight end embracing his teammates.
Jordan's rep count is expanding under Hamilton. Former starter Jordan Akins now is a member of the New York Giants, leaving a hole as the team's flex tight end. But Jordan's consistency in practice likely has locked up the role.
“Brev was one of those guys out there this offseason," Cooks said. "Just the growth that you see him take from a route-running standpoint and just understanding an offense has been great to see.”
Last April, general manager Nick Caserio used three of his five picks on offensive players. First was Mills, the starter for at least 2022. Then came Collins, an emerging No. 2 receiver opposite Cooks. Finally, there was Jordan, who might be the missing link to the team's offense in terms of consistency on third down and in the red zone.
The thought of being a foundational piece in Houston has floated through Jordan's mind once or twice. He could see that the front office was trying to establish a culture and a core group for the future.
"We accepted the challenge," Jordan said. "We just want to step up and live up to it now."
There's plenty Jordan will need to improve on. He'll be the first to admit he has "a ways to go," especially in terms of run-blocking. It'll be something to monitor throughout the season, but it's not where Houston is banking on him making an impact.
Smith calls Jordan a hybrid who "gives us flexibility." He'll line up outside and play "a little bit" as an in-line blocker.
But there's more. Jordan gives Mills a security blanket in the red zone. It's something that'll be needed for an offense that ranked 28th in passing a season ago.
Jordan uses three words to describe himself: loving, passionate and selfless. He credits mom Beverly for instilling those traits in him at a young age.
Social media has taken a liking to Jordan. Fans always seem to point him out in videos in part due to his vibrant demeanor when the camera is rolling.
Ever so humble, Jordan never thought of himself as a social media icon.
"It's just my personality," said Jordan.
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