The broken collarbone Texans wide receiver Will Fuller suffered Wednesday will require surgery and a two- to three-month absence, reports John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
The injury to Fuller will deprive Houston’s Tom Savage-led passing attack of its No. 2 wideout until sometime in the fall, leaving the team with Braxton Miller and Jaelen Strong as its second and third options. Miller and Strong combined for just 29 catches last season, though, while fourth and fifth receivers Wendall Williams and Dres Anderson have a total of four NFL grabs between them.
Having lost Fuller for a while, the Texans could scour the open market to bolster the position, with Anquan Boldin, Vincent Jackson and Steve Johnson among the league’s most established free agent receivers. Of course, more options will come available in the next few weeks as cuts occur, and the Texans may not feel any urgency to add a proven receiver with the strong tight end duo of C.J. Fiedorowicz and Ryan Griffin on hand as weapons.
The speedy Fuller, whom the Texans selected 21st overall last year, emerged as the club’s top receiver opposite the superb DeAndre Hopkins as a rookie. The ex-Notre Dame star, 21, finished second to Hopkins in targets (92) and yards (635), tied for second in touchdowns (two) and fourth in receptions (47). Fuller’s 13.5 yards-per-catch average paced all full-time Texans targets, beating out Hopkins’ 12.2.
If they choose to sign any of the above-mentioned players, Boldin makes the most sense. Veteran presence who would provide the Texans with a steady receiver that could be Savage/Watson’s safe option to go to.