The Houston Texans were all too happy to discover they were mining a diamond in the rough. All it took was the arrival of rookie quarterback CJ Stroud and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik in 2023 to uncover the massive potential of 2021 third-round wideout Nico Collins.
After two pedestrian seasons, Collins turned in an 80-catch, 1,296-receiving yard and eight touchdown campaign in the much ballyhooed third season of his career. The Texans went out and added Stefon Diggs this offseason and the attention he demanded vaulted Collins into a league-leading 113 yard-per-game stratosphere.
But that was before a hamstring injury sidelined Collins for the last five contests. The question is, will he be able to play against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11?
The answer appears to be yes, as for the first time in over a month, Collins carries no game designation on the Texans’ final injury report of the week, released on Saturday.
With his expected return, the Texans will be a much more formidable offense for the Cowboys’ secondary to contend with. With Collins in the lineup, Houston averaged 272 passing yards a contest. In the five games without him, they’ve averaged just 165 passing yards per game, and that includes an appalling 55 yards in their Week 7 loss to Green Bay.
Since losing Collins, Slowik has focused on running the ball more, and that was taken to another level when they also lost Stefon Diggs to a torn ACL.
With Collins back, expect Trevon Diggs and Caelen Carson of the Cowboys to have their hands full, along with safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson.