Tag: Texans receiver

Noah Brown provides the Texans depth at receiver

Since returning from a groin injury, Noah Brown has given the Houston Texans depth in their receiving corps.

The Houston Texans signed Noah Brown in free agency to bolster a position group that features a variety of targets from big-bodied Nico Collins to shifty Tank Dell.

Although injuries affected the Texans’ receiving corps the past two games with Dell dealing with a concussion in Week 7 and Robert Woods a foot injury in Week 8, Brown has been a model of consistency throughout the hits to the position.

According to Lauren Gray from Pro Football Focus, Brown was the Texans’ highest-graded receiver in their 15-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 8.

Noah Brown recorded three catches for 57 yards in Houston’s loss to Carolina. He had two explosive gains for 54 yards and finished with a 116.7 passer rating when targeted. Brown suffered a groin injury against the Ravens in Week 1 and has played in three games this season, leading to only 114 receiving yards on the year, but his yardage has gradually increased in each outing.

On the season, Brown has eight catches for 114 yards. Brown should figure to be a part of the Texans’ passing game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 9 as Woods will miss another game due to injury.

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Texans WR Nico Collins remains start ’em in CBS Sports fantasy

Houston Texans receiver Nico Collins remains a start ’em in CBS Sports’ fantasy advice after a rough outing in Week 8.

Nico Collins’ two 100-yard receiving games in Week 2 and Week 4 suggested the Houston Texans receive was coming into his own for a franchise with stalwarts such as Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins.

In addition to being able to elevate whatever quarterback talent was around them, those two receivers were also locks in fantasy football. Collins’ back-and-forth between big games and so-so outings make fantasy managers skittish as to how reliable the receiver is.

According to Jamey Eisenberg from CBS Sports, although Collins had four catches for 30 yards in the 15-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, the former 2021 third-rounder remains a viable option in fantasy.

Collins had a disappointing game in Week 8 at Carolina with four catches for 30 yards on six targets, and he hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 4. But I’m expecting a rebound performance this week against Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers have struggled with opposing receivers of late. Since Week 6, a span of three games, six receivers have scored at least 11.4 PPR points against Tampa Bay, including three Bills (Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Khalik Shakir) in Week 8. Continue to start Collins as a No. 2 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.

Collins has 33 catches for 577 yards and three touchdowns on the season — yards and touchdowns being new single-season career highs. Collins’ single-season high for catches is 37 set last year.

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WATCH: Texans WR Tank Dell goes spin cycle against the Panthers

Houston Texans receiver Tank Dell showed off some slick moves against the Carolina Panthers in Week 8.

Tank Dell always wanted the Houston Texans to keep him in the city.

After the Texans kept Dell inside the city, hardly any NFL defense has been able to catch him.

Sunday was a latest example in Week 8 as Houston faced the Carolina Panthers. On a second-and-6 from the Texans’ 41-yard line with 4:50 to go in the first quarter, the third-round receiver took an end-around and threw a couple of moves on Panthers defenders.

Dell missed Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints with a concussion. Houston’s bye week helped the former Houston Cougar to return to top shape for the Panthers.

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WATCH: Texans QB C.J. Stroud throws TD pass to WR Robert Woods against the Saints

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass to Robert Woods in the second quarter of Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints.

Part of what makes C.J. Stroud an intriguing rookie is how the quarterback looks anything like a first-timer.

The Houston Texans’ No. 2 overall pick showcased some of his gridiron maturity yet again in Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium. With 2:56 to go in the second quarter, Stroud threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to receiver Robert Woods on third-and-goal to push Houston ahead 17-7.

The play was there for Stroud a week ago against the Atlanta Falcons, but a defender batted the pass at the line of scrimmage. With a week to work on corrections, Stroud came back to the throw — just quicker this time.

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Texans activate WR Noah Brown from injured reserve

The Houston Texans have activated receiver Noah Brown from injured reserve for Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints.

The Houston Texans are bringing back a receiver from injured reserve.

The club announced Saturday they have activated Noah Brown, who had been placed on injured reserve after Week 1 with a groin injury.

Houston also designated cornerback D’Angelo Ross as their standard practice squad elevation for Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints. Ross was elevated last week against the Atlanta Falcons. The 26-year-old has one more standard elevation remaining.

The Texans waived cornerback Alex Austin from the practice squad. Houston claimed the former Buffalo Bills 2023 seventh-round pick off waivers at the end of preseason.

Kickoff is at 12:00 p.m. Sunday from NRG Stadium.

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Texans OC Bobby Slowik says WR John Metchie is ‘always looking for contact’

Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik has observed that receiver John Metchie has a penchant for delivering contact.

John Metchie may have only played 70 offensive snaps for the Houston Texans through five weeks, but Bobby Slowik has been able to identify one part of the receiver’s game.

The second-year wideout from Alabama has caught six passes for 72 yards through four games. Aside from embodying a literal “never say die” attitude, Metchie has shown the Texans’ offensive coordinator another element to his playing style.

“He’s always finishing, he’s always looking for contact,” Slowik told reporters Oct. 12. “He’s the same way in the run game. He’s always playing with full effort at all times, and in his routes, you just see he keeps — like, that’s probably the thing that takes the most time to get back into the flow of — how you are in your route running and your stems and at the top. And he’s progressed every week.”

An opportunity for Metchie to get more game reps could exist in Week 6 against the New Orleans Saints. Third-rounder Tank Dell is questionable with a concussion and seventh-year receiver Noah Brown is working back from an injury.

Each week Metchie gets opportunities, the better he acclimates to the game.

Said Slowik: “He’s gotten better in that regard in how fast he’s playing and how he’s coming out of breaks at the top. It’s been encouraging to see.”

The Texans kickoff at 12:00 p.m. Central Time against New Orleans at NRG Stadiuim.

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Texans WR Nico Collins earning reputation as viable third down option

New information from Pro Football Focus is building the case that Houston Texans WR Nico Collins is a decent option on third down.

The more the Houston Texans put distance between the organization and the rebuild, the more accolades their roster will start to receive from the commentariat.

Although the Texans are 2-3 on the year, their flirtation with being above .500 for the first time since 2019 is enough to have analysts looking into what overlooked talent is on the team. One such example is receiver Nico Collins.

According to Khaled Elsayed from Pro Football Focus, the former Michigan receiver makes the analytics firm’s “all third and fourth down team” with a 90.1 grade.

What a start to the year for Collins, who is second in yardage to D.J. Moore. Addison is really one to watch, though, and with Justin Jefferson now on the injured reserve, his opportunities here might only go up.

Of course, PFF grades in the abstract are to football fans what Latin was to medieval congregations: impressive from whence they derive, yet nevertheless esoteric. In more understandable terminology provided by Pro Football Reference, Collins has caught nine passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns on third and fourth down through five games. The receiving yards are the second-most among qualifiers, and Collins’ 88.8% conversion rate is the fifth-best among qualifiers.

Interestingly the sixth-highest receiving yards belong to rookie Tank Dell with 155. No doubt Collins’ ability to come through on third and fourth down will be at a premium as Dell is likely to miss Week 6 with a concussion.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell is in concussion protocol

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans confirms rookie wideout Tank Dell is in the concussion protocol.

The Houston Texans may be without one of their more explosive weapons in Week 6.

According to coach DeMeco Ryans, receiver Tank Dell is in the concussion protocol after leaving midway through Week 5’s 21-19 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“Tank is in the protocol, and we’ll see how he progresses throughout the week,” Ryans told reporters Monday. “Hopefully he starts to feel better. Definitely hurts not having him out there.”

The rookie caught a 29-yard pass on a third-and-10 from the Houston 42-yard line with 41 seconds until halftime. Dell left the game and was questionable to return with a concussion, but his day was finished with three catches for 57 yards.

“Tank is an explosive playmaker for us, but our thoughts [are] with Tank to make sure he gets back healthy as soon as possible,” Ryans said.

The third-rounder has caught 19 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns through five games.

The Texans host the New Orleans Saints Sunday at 12:00 p.m. Central Time at NRG Stadium.

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Texans coach DeMeco Ryans says WR Tank Dell ‘shows up every week’

Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans is well aware of how rookie wideout Tank Dell makes his presence felt throughout the passing game each week.

If familiarity breeds comfortability, then Houston Texans rookie wide receiver Tank Dell should feel right at home with the Bobby Slowik-led offense and his quarterback, C.J. Stroud. The Florida native felt right at home on Sunday at the Jacksonville Jaguars as he finished the game with a career-high 145 yards receiving on five catches and a touchdown, helping lead the Texans to their first victory of the season.

“Coach ‘Slo’ [Bobby Slowik] has been doing a great job of putting us in position,” said Dell last week exclusively to the Texans Wire about getting acclimated to the offense. “The language is getting familiar, and I am getting familiar with everything, so it’s been going good.”

The former University of Houston superstar wideout showed up big when the team needed him most by scoring on a 68-yard touchdown pass from Stroud midway through the fourth quarter to increase the Texans’ lead. With third-and-3 from Houston’s 32-yard line, Stroud noticed that the Jags were flooding the box with nine players expecting a run play to be called. He immediately made eye contact with Dell before the snap and connected with him as soon as his hands touched the football.

“Tank shows up every week,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said about Dell, who was selected in the third round by Houston. “I know this game meant a lot to him being home and a lot of family attending the game. It was important for him to have a big game. It’s cool to watch Tank just every week. He shows up. He puts the work in. Explosive playmaker since OTAs, and it’s still showing up right now in the season. Happy with where Tank is.”

Dell, 23, is becoming one of Stroud’s favorite targets this season. In a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2, Dell finished the game with seven receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. During the week, the two rookies spent extensive time getting together, going over the playbook and hot reads to prepare for the Jags.

The preparation was evident early in the game when Stroud dropped a 46-yard pass to Dell in between two defenders midway through the first quarter to put the Texans into the red zone. They scored two plays later on a Dameon Pierce 1-yard run.

“I was super, super happy for Tank,” Stroud said in his postgame press conference. “That was our first time taking a shot and the first time hitting it. I think that just shows the connection me and him actually have. We put in a lot of extra work, and it’s good to see it pay off. Now it’s time to go do it again and be consistent with it. So really, really proud of him.”

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WATCH: Texans QB C.J. Stroud throws 68-yard TD to WR Tank Dell against the Jaguars

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to receiver Tank Dell against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3.

The Houston Texans are starting to be able to count on their rookie connection.

With 9:08 to go in the fourth quarter in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday afternoon at TIAA Bank Field, quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to receiver Tank Dell.

Stroud and Dell had connected earlier in the game to allow Houston to score their first touchdown of the game. Dell was two yards short of the end zone on their 46-yard reception, but running back Dameon Pierce scored a 1-yard touchdown run two plays later.

This touchdown was all about the rookie passing duo.

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