LEXINGTON — Before Cade Stover even stepped on an NFL football field, he vowed to cherish every single moment.
He knows a professional football career is short and a very small chapter of an otherwise brilliant life story. He knows when he hangs up his cleats that he wants to be able to look back and remember all of the great things that he went through and all of the special moments should be remembered.
The 2019 Lexington grad and 2018 Ohio Mr. Football Award winner, Stover has already experienced plenty of memorable moments during his rookie season in the NFL and they are moments he will never forget.
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Stover gets drafted while working on family farm
And they all started with the 2024 NFL Draft. Stover, a tight end out of The Ohio State University, was projected to be selected on the second day of the draft in the third round. He ended up going in the fourth round with the No. 123 pick to the Houston Texans after the Texans traded with the Philadelphia Eagles to move up and take the tight end.
“It was a day later than we expected and from what everyone was saying,” Stover said. “I didn’t even turn on the draft. I was out shooting rats at night on the farm on Day 2 of the draft and I never got that call.”
It didn’t sit well with Stover. An ultra competitor by nature, Stover believed he was one of the best tight ends in the draft and his college career and NFL Combine testing proved it. So, he let off some steam by getting to work on his family’s farm in rural Lexington. He kept an earbud in and his phone turned up just in case the call came that he would be drafted, but he wasn’t going to sit in front of a television set watching as he got passed by time and time again.
And then, the call came.
“I was unhooking my dad’s chisel plow after we had just got done plowing like 10-15 acres,” Stover said. “My phone finally rang and I got to experience that first moment of becoming a professional football player with my dad right there which, in the end, ended up being a really, really special moment.”
Typical Stover. He was working on a tractor when he got the call that he would be selected to play for the Houston Texans. He was unhooking hydraulic lines from a chisel plow while his father was in the tractor getting ready to pull away as the phone rang. He stopped his father, Trevor, and made him take the phone call with him.
“I knew the Texans liked me, but they had just signed their tight end to a long-term deal so they weren’t pressed to come and get me early on in the draft,” Stover said. “Looking back, I could be in a better spot.”
Stover withstands whirlwind as new rookie with Texans
It wasn’t long after the draft that Stover had to report to Houston. He was drafted on May 27 and signed a four-year rookie contract with the Houston Texans worth roughly $4.758 million, which includes a $1.189 million signing bonus, on May 9 so things were moving rather quickly. He reported for Organized Team Activities soon after and got to work.
The rookies reported in May and the Texans put them all up in a fancy hotel and shuttled the players to and from the practice and training facility. Stover was officially a professional football player.
“No one really knew how long they would be there,” Stover said. “There are 30-plus rookies that came in and only like five or six of us were drafted and the rest were free agents. So, we really didn’t know how long we would be there or if we would make the team. I was just trying to learn names and figure out where to go for meetings.”
Things were a whirlwind for Stover right out of the gate. He reported to tight end position meetings so he could start learning the playbook and all of the new lingo that came along with it. From there, he was put through some route-running drills, hit the weight room and then was back in his hotel room before he could catch his breath. And that was the routine.
“It was a lot of fun,” Stover said. “We learned a lot in a short period of time. I had to learn a different language so it was tough, but coming from Ohio State, I was so prepared for it already. They prepared me for everything I could ever come across because it is run like an NFL franchise. I knew how to practice and do walk-throughs while still taking mental reps and getting more physical than what normal walk-throughs are.”
Thanks to his time with the Buckeyes, Stover was a step ahead of most in his rookie OTA class. His time also helped him approach OTAs with a clear mind and a desire to do things the right way. While he was thinking he didn’t want to screw up or make a mistake, he also knew that mistakes can be nullified by working hard and taking coaching.
And he did just that. He clung to 6-year veteran tight end Dalton Schultz and absorbed everything like a sponge. Schultz helped Stover get his NFL legs under him and it led to Stover making the roster for preseason games.
And that first preseason game was unforgettable.
Stover got to play first NFL preseason game close to home
The Texans played the Chicago Bears on Aug. 1 to kick off the NFL season but it was extra special because the game was played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, just over an hour away from Stover’s family home.
“That was really, really cool to have almost my entire family there,” Stover said. “Even though it was preseason, they got to see me get my first catch and experience so many firsts right beside me. Once we put pads on, I knew I could do this and I was cut out for this, but boy, that game moved so much faster.”
Stover played well catching two passes for 26 yards for a 13-yard-per-catch average with a long of 15 yards on three targets. The Texans lost the game 21-17 as he played 36 snaps, but he was thrilled with getting to play in front of his family and friends. He adjusted quickly to the pace of the game and got that first taste of NFL football.
“The biggest difference from high school to college is how much faster everything is,” Stover said. “When you get to the NFL, it is that much faster, but it isn’t because the people are faster, but because they are smarter and can get to a spot much faster because of that knowledge. They are stronger, grown men and they just know how to play the game.”
It took Stover three games to fully make the adjustment. Everything was moving so fast and Stover was playing a lot. He caught three passes for 32 yards in a 20-12 win over the Steelers and played 22 snaps in the third preseason game, a 28-10 win over the Giants. In the final preseason game, he played five snaps on the Texans’ first offensive series and didn’t see the field again after that which was a great sign he would make the team. On Aug. 27, Stover was notified he would be on the Texans’ 54-man roster heading into Week 1 of the regular season as the third tight end on the depth chart, but would be used quite a bit as a fullback.
Stover shows production value with the Texans right from the start
In his first real NFL game, Stover played 15 snaps but made the most of them as his blocking helped the Texans pick up a crucial first down at the end of the game to kneel out the clock on a 29-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Then came a moment he will never forget. In Week 2 at home against Chicago, Stover made the first catch of his NFL career.
“Fourth and 1 against the Bears in primetime football,” Stover said. “I am in the backfield as a full back and we run a power play that we ran many times in that game. My job was to kick out the defensive end but I am to bluff that end and run out in the flat. I am the only option on that play. It was either me or CJ (Stroud) was running the ball. We were hoping it worked and it did. I popped wide open and we got it and after that, I just ran for my life.”
He did more than that, Stover ripped off an 18-yard gain that resulted in a first down in the first quarter. It was his only target for the game, but he helped the Texans beat the Bears 19-13.
“It as a nice little short one to get your eyes open to NFL Football,” Stover said.
Over the next several weeks, Stover played more and more for the Texans. He played 19 snaps in a 34-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3, which was then a career high.
In was in that game where Stover received his Welcome to the NFL moment.
“It was against the Vikings and we had a ton of tight end pass protection packages we just put in,” Stover said. “It was my first game starting at the end of the line tight end and not at fullback. I was good in college in pass protection in college so I was confident. The first play was a play-action tight end screen and I ended up getting called for holding. No big deal, I moved on. Two more plays and I do fine with my pass protection.
“The next play, I was on the left side with a similar protection plan and I see a standup defensive end on the other side who led their team in sacks the previous season. He was Top 10 in the league and I am by myself. He was the guy I already held earlier in the game so I am expecting him to do the same up-and-under move. Instead, he bull-rushed me and I got put on my back. That was when I was like, ‘I’m here. Welcome to the NFL.'”
He rebounded nicely from the moment. He picked up his second career catch in a 24-20 win over Jacksonville in Week 4 with a 27-yarder, the longest catch of his career. He had his first two-catch game in a 23-20 Week 5 win over Buffalo when he caught two passes for six yards. He played 34 snaps in a 41-21 win over the Patriots in Week 6 to help the Texans improve to 5-1 and in Week 7, he caught a 15-yard pass in a 24-22 loss to Green Bay at Lambeau Field, one of the most historic venues in the NFL.
In Week 8, it was another two-catch day as he piled up 19 yards in a 23-20 win over Indianapolis and played 25 snaps in a 21-13 Week 9 loss to the New York Jets in his first Thursday Night Football primetime game. In Week 10, he had a catch for two yards as the Texans lost to the Detroit Lions, 26-23, and added two catches for 15 yards in a 34-10 dominant win over Dallas in Week 11.
Then came the biggest moment of his rookie season.
Stover scores first NFL touchdown of his young career
On the very first play of the Texans’ Week 12 game at home against the Tennessee Titans, Stover caught a 19-yard touchdown pass putting him in the record books. He finished the day with a career-high three catches for 26 yards and a TD.
But the moment of crossing the goal line wasn’t memorable because of his accomplishment, but because his dad made the trip to Houston to witness it.
“Just starting an NFL game at tight end was really meaningful,” Stover said. “That was when I felt like I made it. I had my confidence back after playing a bunch of snaps in the early part of the season so, I just wanted to be used in meaningful ways. So that play was a four-vertical concept and it was something they weren’t calling for me early in the season. It showed they thought I was a valuable option and trusted me to make a play and get things done when it comes my way. I popped free and it was a special moment. No dancing for me.”
As Stover crossed the goal line, he threw his arms up in celebration finding his dad in the crowd. From a distance, it looked like he threw his first touchdown catch football in the stands but he clutched onto it never wanting to let it go.
“I thought about it,” Stover said. “I have that ball because someone saved it for me and had it in my locker after the game. There were so many emotions, but it was a special moment. CJ threw me my first one in college and now in the NFL. So, it was cool.”
The Texans ended up losing the game 32-27 to drop to 7-5 on the year, so Stover wasn’t exactly in a celebratory mood after the game. His dad was staying with him that night so Stover got over the loss as best he could and celebrated with his family.
“Sometimes, I don’t realize just how long an NFL season is and how these small things should be celebrated,” Stover said. “This is a moment I’ll be able to tell my kids about.”
Stover returns home to Ohio during welcomed bye week
The following week, Stover helped the Texans get back in the win column with a 23-20 win over Jacksonville with one catch for four yards and 57 snaps played. He pushed his season total to 14 catches for 132 yards and a TD and the Texans were 8-5 heading into a bye week.
A week Stover welcomed and a moment he will cherish as he got to return home to his family’s farm for a nice getaway.
“I have been itching heavily to get back home,” Stover said. “In the summer, I was in Huston without a car and just sitting in a hotel just thinking about my family making hay, having dinner together and my grandma and grandpa visiting. It was killing me. I was homesick. After I got into the season, it got easier, but when the bye week came around, I was on a plane the first second I could be.”
Stover returned home to spend a week and finally got one of his family’s Stover Farms home-grown steak dinners. He watched his sister, Tatum, play basketball for Lexington and caught a few of his cousins’ basketball games around the area.
“I love that everyone is right here,” Stover said. “I haven’t seen everyone in a really long time. It has been a long grind, but I am happy to have been home for a week. It really helped my mentality as we head down the final stretch of the season.”
The Texans are currently 8-5 on the season and sitting all alone in first place in the AFC South. They are currently No. 4 in the AFC playoff picture and have a 97% chance to make the playoffs. In his first year, Stover has experienced many first-time moments that will be life-long memories and more are likely to come.
And he will stick to his vow to cherish every single one of them.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Cade Stover’s rookie season with Texans filled with special moments
