Texans offensive skill position group lands in top 10 of The Athletic’s latest rankings

After continually adding to C.J. Stroud’s weapons in the offseason, Houston finds itself in the top 10 offensive skill position group.

Since general manager Nick Caserio arrived in Houston, the Texans’ roster has undergone a massive overhaul, completing a worst-to-first/worst-to-first turnaround last season.

The Texans enter 2024 with heightened expectations after an offseason that saw the team acquire star talents like Danielle Hunter and Stefon Diggs. The latter joins a stacked receiver room that is part of a grander skill position group that ranks amongst the best in the NFL.

The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen recently ranked the best skill position groups, placing the Texans at No. 8. While being in the top 10 is nothing to scoff at, forming a receiving trio of Nico Collins, Tank Dell, and Diggs would suggest a higher placement.

Nguyen, however, is cautious about being too high on Texans’ skill players.

“The Texans may be too low on this list but the jury is still out on whether Father Time is catching up with Stefon Diggs or maybe he just needed a fresh start,” Nguyen writes. “Tank Dell was electric as a rookie, but he broke his fibula in Week 13 and was wounded by a gunshot in the offseason.”

Diggs, 30, joins the squad after a successful tenure with the Bills that ended on an underwhelming note. In four years, he caught 445 passes for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns, but he closed out 2023 with 13 consecutive games under 100 yards.

In his brief time with Houston, the four-time Pro Bowler has earned praise for leadership and competitiveness. He shouldered a 26% target per route run last season, but with Collins and Dell in the fold, he may trade in some targets for added efficiency.

“Nico Collins blossomed into a bonafide No. 1 receiver last season,” Nguyen writes. “Only [Tyreek] Hill finished with a higher (Y/RR) than Collins. He’ll take a lot of the load off Diggs, who was the undisputed No. 1 during his time in Buffalo. Allowing Diggs to get more one-on-ones and face inferior corners should be fruitful for the Texans.”

By every metric, Collins was a star receiver last year, totaling a career-high 80 catches for 1,297 yards. Houston rewarded him with a three-year extension, keeping him a part of the offensive game plan through 2026.

This could be the Collins’ start, who became the third Texan to record over 1,200 receiving yards in a season behind Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins.

Dell, a third-round pick out of the University of Houston, was on his way to breaking every rookie receiving record in franchise history before sustaining a season-ending injury. He still finished with 47 receptions for 709 yards and seven touchdowns.

Keep in mind C.J. Stroud still has two more pieces to the puzzle in tight end Dalton Schultz and Pro Bowl running back Joe Mixon. Schultz averaged 12.5 yards per catch and scored five touchdowns as Stroud’s security net over the middle of the field.

Mixon, a former Pro Bowl runner in Cincinnati, brings a wealth of experience in the league and scheme fit.

Houston will play most of its starters against the Pittsburgh Steelers at 6 p.m. on Friday. Who stands on the sidelines remains a mystery, but it’ll be the first time fans see the skill players in live action, making for an exciting debut.