Mark Bruener

With Mark Bruener retiring after his 14th season, the Texans are seeking his replacement. Anthony Hill will compete with Joel Dreessen and fellow rookie James Casey for playing time in two tight-end sets. Hill will try to separate himself from the rest with the skills that made him arguably the best blocking TE in the draft. “I think he caught my eye first when we were watching N.C. State and evaluating TEs,” Texans TEs coach Brian Pariani said. “You could see the strength he had.“I think what Anthony adds is that he’s a line-of-scrimmage player who adds toughness to what we’re trying to do in the running game.” That’s not to say Hill will only be blocking. The Texans pride themselves on having versatile TEs. Owen Daniels was the team’s 2nd-leading receiver last season. Casey can play TE, QB or even FB. Dreessen proved valuable on special teams and caught 11 passes last year.