The Most Concerning Development at Texans Minicamp

The Houston Texans have been staying busy at mandatory minicamp for the past two days.

And so far, there's been some nice developments surfacing throughout to inspire a great deal of confidence in this team moving into next season.

The defense has continued to make plays in practice and compete well, multiple positive reviews have surfaced about the offensive production and C.J. Stroud's growth in year four, and DeMeco Ryans has been highly complementary throughout.

But one player in the mix of the 90-man roster has started to gain a little bit of attention for the wrong reasons: that's second-round tight end Marlin Klein, who's been unable to participate in practice dating back to OTAs as he's reportedly been rehabbing a hamstring injury.

Marlin Klein Limited Through Texans' Minicamp

The injury for Klein was first reported on during the Texans' second week of OTAs, which has been deemed a strained hamstring–– per KPRC2's Aaron Wilson–– that’s now kept the rookie tight end sidelined as a full participant in practice since.

#Texans rookie tight end Marlin Klein, who is sidelined with a strained hamstring @kprc2 pic.twitter.com/Hq6irLOSt7
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 10, 2026

As to when he'll be back in action remains to be seen. Klein will still have one more practice to go in the Texans' three-day minicamp with a chance to suit up then.

But based on how his last few sessions have panned out, there's a good chance Houston decides to hold out their second-rounder entirely.

Of course, it's too early to panic about a rookie less than two months since he was first drafted. There are no signs to this point that Klein will be restricted once getting to training camp and preseason, and once he's back on the field in full capacity, it'll certainly allow the Texans to exhale just a little bit.

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan tight end Marlin Klein (TE14) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

However, seeing a first-year player unable to get minicamp reps due to injury is never a great sign. And especially for as competitive as the back-end of the tight end depth chart projects to be, a lingering absence for Klein has a heightened impact.

Klein Needed Minicamp Reps–– Now He's Behind Schedule

Klein is a raw tight end prospect. He's got appealing physical traits as he stands 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, and has the upside of being a quality blocking and receiving threat that'd be a huge addition to this position group.

But he'll certainly need a good share of quality reps before the season before he can be deemed a year-one impact player. At Michigan, he logged 38 total receptions through three seasons for less than 400 yards and only one touchdown. There's no question he needs more experience.

However, the second-rounder isn't able to get those necessary reps right now.

And while Klein's working off to the side, there are other names in the room like Foster Moreau, Cade Stover, and Brevin Jordan only seeing their stock on the rise in what expects to be a tight competition to make the 53-man roster.

#Texans rookie tight end Marlin Klein (hamstring) not practicing @KPRC2 https://t.co/o4UuM5isGV pic.twitter.com/89oEJpAyWa
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) June 9, 2026

Klein, on the other hand, has his stock on a downward trend and isn't able to fully ingratiate himself into this offense as the front office had initially envisioned until he gets back to full health.

Again, it's too early to panic on any rookie in the building. They haven't even seen a practice in full pads, let alone being able to log any snaps during a live, in-game setting.

But health issues, especially for an injury that can linger like a hamstring ailment, do tend to spark at least a little bit of concern for what lies ahead. And when combined with the fact that he's falling behind schedule in his development, it creates a less than ideal situation for the Texans and Klein to be put in as early as mid-June.

If Klein is able to heal in the coming off-weeks to be fully ready for training camp in July, and put together a strong sample size in those few weeks, all of the minicamp chatter can soon become a non-factor.

Right now, though, that's not the case. And as a result, one of the Texans' top rookies brought in from April has become one of the more disappointing turnouts of their minicamp sessions.

Sign up for our free Houston Texans On SI newsletter, and get breaking Texans news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google