The Houston Texans' sixth-year quarterback Jeff Driskel is leaving his passing days behind him and transitioning to tight end, the team's tight end coach Andy Bischoff said Thursday. Bischoff told Aaron Reiss of The Athletic that Driskel is a "rare athlete" capable of making the change and that he may become a contributor on special teams.
Driskel, 28, was a sixth-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, but was cut by the team as a rookie and instead spent the first three seasons of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He started five games for the Bengals in 2018 and threw five touchdowns with two interceptions over that stretch.
He later made three starts with the Detroit Lions in 2019 and one with the Denver Broncos in 2020. Driskel has thrown 13 career touchdowns with eight interceptions.
Despite Driskel's moderate success at quarterback, the transition to tight end isn't too surprising considering many of his best NFL plays have come because of his abilities as a runner.
Jeff Driskel just made some Bucs defenders look ridiculous pic.twitter.com/v1yw4w3bRO
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) August 12, 2017
Driskel, who's listed by the Texans at 6'4, 235 pounds, has three career rushing touchdowns. He also caught a pass once for 6 yards during his time with the Lions on a tipped ball that bounced back into his hands.
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