Nico Collins named Texans’ most important non-quarterback

The Houston Texans have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball through 2024. Derek Stingley and Will Anderson are both top-five draft picks, Laremy Tunsil is the highest-paid left tackle in the league, and CJ Stroud could be the next big thing at quarterback.

However, last season there were times when they were all overshadowed by wide receiver Nico Collins, a third-round pick in the 2021 draft. Collins had relatively quiet first seasons, averaging around 460 yards and 1.5 touchdowns per year. He did, however, have a breakthrough season in 2023, coinciding with a major upgrade at quarterback. Paired with Houston’s rookie sensation at the QB position, Collins had 109 receptions with a very high catch rate of 73.4%, averaged over 16 yards per reception and scored eight touchdowns.

Heading into 2024, Collins was named the most important non-quarterback on Houston’s roster by Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News.

“Collins now has a stronger playmaking company in Stefon Diggs, but Collins was rewarded for his 2023 season as the No. 1. He signed a three-year, $72.75 million contract, locking him in as C.J. Stroud’s go-to guy.”

We like Collins as a moderately spicy choice, here. Considering what they gave up to trade Stefon Diggs, one has to think he could become Stroud’s No. 1 target this year. That’s not a guarantee though – if Stroud ends up having better chemistry with Collins, we can’t rule out him continuing to get the most targets on the team. At least Collins has a full year of experience ahead of Diggs in that department. Collins is also a damn good route runner and the addition of Diggs should ensure he doesn’t see double teams, which could even increase his ceiling.

But Collins doesn’t lack competition, even if you leave Diggs aside. Tank Tell is a very underrated receiver and he ended up recording 709 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie in just 11 games. And then there’s tight end Dalton Schultz, who is one of the best pass catchers in the game – he’s recorded 59 receptions, 539 yards and five touchdowns.

That’s a lot of mouths to feed, a good problem for offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik.