The Texans have placed wide receiver Nico Collins on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury suffered in Houston’s Week 5 win over the Bills, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
His absence will be a blow to the Texans offense, but Collins is expected to be back “sooner, rather than later,” according to Rapoport.
Collins is the NFL’s leading receiver with 567 yards through five weeks despite going down in the first quarter last week. Now, he’ll be sidelined until at least Week 9, depriving Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud of his most efficient and explosive offensive weapons.
Houston will lean on its receiver depth to withstand Collins’ absence, starting with offseason acquisition Stefon Diggs. The former Bill started out slow with 70 yards through two games, but he’s averaged 85 yards per game in Weeks 3 to 5 as his chemistry with Stroud improves. He will have to keep up the pace to help replace some of Collins’ production.
The Texans will also be hoping that second-year wideout Tank Dell can recapture some of his explosive rookie form now that he is recovered from the fractured fibula that ended his 2023 season and an offseason shooting. He is only averaging 34.3 yards per game after posting nearly double that last season, which is partially due to Collins’ emergence as an alpha and the arrival of Diggs. Dell could also be dealing with some physical limitations from his fibula surgery; Tony Pollard and Mark Andrews suffered similar injuries in recent years and had to work back up to their Pro Bowl level of play.
Collins’ injury could also mean more opportunities for third-year receiver John Metchie, who sat out his rookie year after a leukemia diagnosis. Metchie has been unable to carve out a role in the Texans offense since returning to the field in 2023, catching just 16 of his 30 targets for 158 yards. He has just one catch for seven yards in 2024 after watching the first three weeks from the sidelines as a healthy scratch. While the Texans are likely to rely on veteran Robert Woods as a known quantity and strong run-blocker, offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik could take the opportunity to expand Metchie’s role and help him find his footing in the NFL.
The Texans signed tight end Teagan Quitoriano off the Bears’ practice squad to fill Collins’ spot on the 53-man roster, per Rapoport. Quitoriano was originally a Texans fifth-round pick in 2022 but struggled to stay healthy across his first two seasons. A preseason calf injury ultimately led to Quitoriano’s before the start of the regular season, and the Bears signed him to their practice squad a few weeks later. Now, Quitoriano will return to Houston after his brief stint in Chicago where he will take up a depth tight end role in the Texans’ offense.
