HOUSTON – Texans rookie tight end Cade Stover was driving to work on a Saturday morning before a Sunday football game against the Miami Dolphins when he started to feel like something was seriously wrong with him.
On his way to NRG Stadium, Stover felt uncomfortably warm. Trainers took his temperature, revealing a fever of 101 degrees.
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Initially, Stover thought he was just sick and needed to take some cold medicine. While he started practicing, though, he felt intense pain and pressure on his abdomen. When trainers examined him and applied light pressure to his stomach, Stover was suddenly in agonizing pain.
They immediately had him to go the hospital. By 2 a.m., he was undergoing surgery for an emergency appendectomy.
“It was fast,” Stover told KPRC 2. “I was basically driving in before we played the Dolphins and I felt bad, like I had a fever. Three hours later, I really got to the point where my abdominals really hurt.”
'Just happy to be back' how #Texans rookie tight end Cade Stover @cstov8 @OhioStateFB made fast recovery from emergency appendectomy @KPRC2 https://t.co/z1T6Wau1V2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) January 2, 2025
Roughly an hour after the procedure, Stover was allowed to move. The Texans wanted him to take it slow and miss two weeks. He wound up missing the Dolphins game and traveled to a road game against the Kansas City Chiefs the following week, but was inactive. Being around his teammates meant a lot, though, to Stover, a fourth-round draft pick from Ohio State.
“Yeah, that was really good for me,” Stover said. “Obviously, nobody wants to miss a game, right? So to be able to be around the guys and contribute the best I could and give moral support, that was good.”
A few days later, Stover caught his 15th pass of the season in a 31-2 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas. Signed to a four-year, $4.758 million deal that includes a $1.189 million signing bonus, the gritty former Big Ten Conference Tight End of the Year has 133 receiving yards and one touchdown.
“Obviously, really happy to be back and contributing what and where I can,” Stover said. “To be back that quick, I’m just really blessed to be here. That’s all I wanted to do. I wanted to go out there and play. Obviously, not the way we wanted that game to go. So, hopefully, change it around this week.”
Known for his gritty approach to football and a blue-collar work ethic instilled in him growing up on the family farm, Stover is a converted defensive player who embraces the physical aspect of the game.
Since his return, Stover has made such a fast recovery that offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik said he forgot about the appendectomy.
“That is a credit to him, I forgot it even happened,” Slowik said. “He is the same Cade he was when he left which I think is a credit to him. That is not an easy thing to go through. His physicality and his toughness just jumps off the tape and you feel him on the sideline. He is a passionate individual that I think everyone feeds off of him.
“Especially when our run game gets rolling, he is usually a significant part in that and of that and we feel that on gameday live. When he comes to the sideline, he continues to supply juice to everybody and for him to keep rolling after that, I think that is awesome to see.”
The Texans plan to play their starters Sunday against the Tennessee Titans in a regular-season finale that won’t impact their playoff outlook. The Texans have already clinched a first-round home playoff game as the fourth seed. They hope to build some momentum against the Titans.
“I think we’re making a great decision, as far as trying to win this game,” Stover said. “I know people say it doesn’t mean anything, but it means a lot to us to be able to go into the postseason with a good taste in our mouth and we feel like we can do what we want to do.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com.
