Texans Bring Back Familiar Tight End

The Houston Texans have agreed to a deal with a familiar face at the tight end position.

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the Texans are signing former New England Patriots tight end and fullback Dalton Keene–– who last played for Houston during the 2023 season.

#Texans signed Dalton Keene veteran fullback and tight end @KPRC2 https://t.co/jGrsnwNPs6
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 5, 2025

Keene, the former third-round pick, had a workout with the Texans earlier last week amid his recovery from his ACL tear last season, with that workout reportedly going positively. Now, just days later, the Texans have brought the tight end onto the 90-man roster for training camp.

Keene was the 101st-overall pick by the New England Patriots in the 2020 NFL Draft, where he would inevitably spend one season before getting cut heading into his sophomore campaign. In that season, he had three catches for 16 yards.

It would take a few seasons before Keene landed more NFL reps his way, but would then sign to the Texans during the 2023 season–– albeit only appearing in one total game for the year. Before the 2024 campaign, Keene would suffer his ACL injury, leading to him being placed on Injured Reserve before the season kicked off.

Aug 17, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Dalton Keene (40) during the game against the New York Giants at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

However, with a successful workout in the books and Keene signed to a new deal, it seems he's back in good health and ready to compete for a official roster spot before the regular season kicks off.

Keene now joins an interesting tight end room in Houston, headlined by Dalton Schultz, who's seemingly had a positive camp by DeMeco Ryans's standards, Brevin Jordan, Cade Stover, and Luke Lachey.

It remains to be seen if Keene will have the traction necessary to merit that 53-man roster spot, but on the horizon, he'll have training camp, three preseason games, and a little less than a month to secure his standing before Week One's kickoff.

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