Through the first half of the 2026 season, the Houston Texans' rookie class has been a bit... underwhelming.

While yes, Keylan Rutledge has emerged as a pleasant surprise on the Texans' offensive line, others around the rookie class have either underperformed, or simply haven't gotten utilized as a part of the game plan on a week-to-week basis.

However, for Week 10 against the Cleveland Browns, there's a chance that the Texans could be handing over an increased workload to one member of their rookie class––and that's none other than second-round tight end Marlin Klein.

Keep an Eye on Marlin Klein in Week 10 vs. Browns

Throughout most of the season so far, Klein––the Texans' 58th-overall pick in the second round of this past draft––has been a bit of a non-factor within the Texans' offense, or even on the special teams side.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end out of Michigan played a combined 22 offensive snaps from Weeks 1 to 3, was inactive on game days from Weeks 4 to Week 7, and that was up until he was able to get a few more reps his way after the bye in Week 9 against the LA Chargers.

Klein saw 19 offensive snaps come his way, which was over double his season-high to that point. He also saw nine special teams snaps. The Texans, for the first time this season, made a more concentrated effort to get him involved.

It didn't result in any stats coming Klein's way, and that's certainly something the Texans want to see trend in a different direction. However, knowing he got involved in the offense much more than the prior eight games is certainly a success in itself.

Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley also made it known that Klein has made "a lot of progress" ahead of the Texans' game against the Chargers, and will look for different situations to put him in moving forward.

“Yeah, no, he's made a lot of progress," Caley said ahead of Week 9. "I mean, all those guys, I feel, have done a good job. [Tight Ends Coach] James Ferentz does a really good job with those guys. He's getting better every single week."

"And again, like anything else, it's about focusing on the process, trying to get better, putting him in different situations, getting him exposure to different areas in the C-gap or off the ball in the run game, and then being able to move him around. It's like anything else. It's a continuous build for a guy like him, but it is for all of us.”

Having five tight ends on the 53-man roster does make the road a bit tougher for Klein to get involved on a consistent basis, which became clear during the first eight games on the schedule.

But now that he's continued to make noticeable progress in the eyes of the coaching staff, it becomes simpler to entrust a bigger workload in him on a week-to-week basis. And that seems likely to continue in Week 10 against the Browns.

That's especially so if one of the Texans' regular tight ends winds up missing any time. On Wednesday's injury report after practice, Brevin Jordan was a DNP due to a finger/foot issue. As it pertains to Klein's role against Cleveland, his status will certainly remain one to keep close watch on.

So looking ahead for Klein, expect to see much more of him within the Texans' offense as the season goes on, which might be able to provide their scoring attack a bit more versatility thanks to his upside as a blocker and a vertical threat in the passing game.