For years, we’ve heard it time and again: the NFL is a copycat league. When something works-especially in the trenches-you can bet it won’t stay exclusive for long. And over the past couple of seasons, no play has been mimicked more than the now-infamous “Tush Push,” the quarterback sneak turbocharged by the Philadelphia Eagles and their bulldozer of a QB, Jalen Hurts.
But as teams try to replicate that success, not every roster comes with a 225-pound quarterback built like a linebacker. So coaches around the league have started getting creative-tweaking, adjusting, and in some cases, reinventing the play entirely to fit their personnel. That brings us to the Houston Texans and their latest wrinkle: the “Stover Shove.”
Let’s break it down.
Houston doesn’t have a quarterback who looks like he belongs on a defensive line. So instead of forcing a square peg into a round hole, offensive coordinator Nick Caley decided to reach into the toolbox and pull out something different. Enter Cade Stover-a 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end with a background that reads like a Swiss Army knife: former high school quarterback, linebacker, and now, a short-yardage battering ram.
Stover, now in his second year out of Ohio State, isn’t your typical ball handler. But when the Texans needed a spark in short-yardage situations-an area where they’ve struggled all season-he was the answer.
Against the Colts last week, Houston lined up for the “Stover Shove” four times. The result?
Two first downs. A 50% success rate might not turn heads in Philadelphia, but for a Texans offense that’s been grinding gears on third-and-short, it’s a noticeable improvement.
And this isn’t just a gimmick. According to Caley, the decision to use Stover under center was born out of necessity, not novelty. “The genesis of it was for us trying to find an alternative way to give us an opportunity to convert first downs and Cade had experience with that,” Caley said.
In other words, this isn’t about being flashy-it’s about being functional. And in a league where every inch matters, especially in red zone and short-yardage scenarios, that functionality could become a key part of Houston’s offensive identity down the stretch.
Stover himself is taking it in stride, sounding more like a seasoned vet than a tight end moonlighting as a quarterback. “We never showed it before.
First couple of times pretty good and then they started catching up to it a little bit,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll figure something out.
First time bringing it out the bag. So, hopefully, we’ll keep building on it.”
Translation: it’s a work in progress-but it’s got potential.
And it’s not just Stover and the coaching staff buying in. The big men up front are loving it, too.
Starting left guard Tytus Howard didn’t mince words when asked about the play. “Oh yeah, I love the play,” Howard said.
“It gives us offensive linemen a chance to just fire off the ball and get an easy first down.”
That’s the kind of endorsement you want from your trenches. When the guys doing the heavy lifting are all-in, it bodes well for the play’s longevity.
Now, will this become a staple for Houston? That remains to be seen. But in a season where every team is searching for an edge-especially in tight games and critical downs-the Texans may have found a unique answer in their backup tight end with a quarterback’s past and a linebacker’s build.
It’s not the Philly-style Tush Push. It’s the Houston-made Stover Shove. And for now, it’s giving the Texans something to lean on when the yardage gets tight.