Texans Believe Rookie TE Marlin Klein Will Shine in One Key Area

The Houston Texans made a big investment into their tight end room this offseason when they brought in Michigan's Marlin Klein as their second-round pick at 59th-overall back in April's draft.

And initially, there came a fair share of questions surrounding the Texans' decision to bring in Klein with that high of a draft selection. He was underutilized in college, is already 24 years old in his rookie season, and was taken above a few tight ends who were projected to land higher on the board than Klein inevitably found himself.

But as the Texans have traversed through training camp, there seems to be a clear vision in store for the team as it relates to their rookie tight end.

DeMeco Ryans Seeing Great Start From Marlin Klein in Camp

In DeMeco Ryans’ mind, he sees Klein as someone who can create a big dent in the passing game––even if he didn't show it off much during his time at Michigan––and has already shown some flashes in camp to indicate that.

"Marlin [Klein]'s done a really good job for us this camp," Ryans said on Saturday. "I think Marlin's going to really shine in the passing game. He's a matchup problem inside, on safeties, on linebackers; his size, his catch radius. He can really run, he runs really well. He's done a really good job, man."

Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Marlin Klein arrives for the team’s minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Physically, Klein has all of the tools to be a unique threat in the Texans' offense. He measures in at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds with good speed and a large catch radius, pairing together with a solid blocking skillset that makes him a valuable piece on that side of the ball in multiple ways.

Numbers-wise, though, Klein hasn't exactly displayed a ton of indicators showing that he's capable of being a true vertical weapon. Throughout three years at Michigan, Klein posted 38 receptions for 364 yards and one touchdown, coming out to under 10 yards per reception throughout his college career.

Marlin Klein Becoming Quick Study in Texans' Offense

That limited production at Michigan has led the Texans to put Klein through a ton of work in camp to ensure he's ready for the season that lies ahead for him at the pro level, especially considering the rookie was sidelined throughout Houston's offseason program due to a hamstring injury.

And while this time of year is never exactly perfect for a first-year player, Ryans feels his rookie tight end is taking it on about as good as you could expect, and has a chance to look even better once in-game action begins later this month in preseason.

"We're throwing a lot at him––Coach [James] Ferentz, Coach [Nick] Caley––they're throwing a lot at him as a rookie," Ryans said. "He'll have some ups and downs throughout camp, but overall, he's doing a really nice job. And I'm excited to see Marlin get in some game action and go play."

"He's a matchup problem inside"

HC DeMeco Ryans on TE Marlin Klein @TheMarlinklein pic.twitter.com/HvtpswzmID
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 1, 2026

It's a great sign to hear that any rookie is doing well throughout the early motions of camp, and especially so for a talent that could play a pretty big role in the offense in 2026 like Klein can.

If the second-round pick can keep the positive momentum throughout the month of August and into the regular season, there's no reason to believe that he can't be the TE2 on the depth chart behind Dalton Klein as soon as year one.

And if that's the case, his selection back in this year's draft already tends to look a whole lot better than it did at the time.

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