It’s been a difficult year for the Houston Texans, especially at the offensive skill positions. Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, and Joe Mixon have all missed games this year. Diggs is done for the season. The most impactful loss for their offense, though, has been Collins, who has been out since Week 6 with a hamstring strain. Designated to return from IR, will Collins make his return against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night?
What Is Nico Collins’ Injury?
This was the play in which Collins was injured. He ran by the entire Buffalo Bills secondary for a 67-yard touchdown, but he pulled up lame toward the end of it.
CJ TO NICO 67 YARDS!
📺: #BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0wfq5acJXl— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
Initially, reports were that Collins might only miss a week or two. However, further testing revealed a more significant strain, prompting the Texans to place the star receiver on IR.
Collins currently leads all wide receivers with 113.4 receiving yards per game. His absence has left a black hole in the Texans’ passing attack. Without Collins, Stroud has not looked anything like the MVP candidate we saw in 2023.
Is Collins Playing This Week?
Since Collins was placed on IR ahead of Week 6, he was required to miss Weeks 6-9. We are now in Week 10.
The Texans have designated Collins for return, as expected. However, the timeline hasn’t exactly gone as it was previously suggested it would.
Before Week 9, the reports were overwhelmingly positive, indicating Collins was very likely to return in Week 10 when first eligible. Yet, despite continued positive reports on Collins’ recovery, the team’s tune changed early in the week.
#Texans WR1 Nico Collins has passed all tests for hamstring, no setbacks, per league sources, regained speed, mobility, ready to go. Matter of when, not if he'll be designated for return. Team still determining if activating him for #Lions game. Might not practice today. @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 6, 2024
Collins did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday. That sequence pretty much guaranteed he wouldn’t return this week … until it didn’t.
The team then surprisingly opened Collins’ three-week window on Friday, and the talented WR returned for a limited practice. The young man certainly looked happy to be back on the field.
.@lbg_nico7 spotted at practice 👀 pic.twitter.com/whvk7x7MRu
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 8, 2024
If you asked me two weeks ago whether there was any chance Collins played Sunday night, I would’ve said no. Players rarely play with just a single limited practice on Friday. But to get in a single limited practice on the first week back after a multi-week absence? Who would possibly play through that?
Well, three weeks ago, Puka Nacua did. Now, I won’t question any player’s ability to return, even with the most limited practice time.
The Texans activated Collins ahead of the 4 p.m. ET Saturday deadline.
A boost for the #Texans: Star WR Nico Collins, who had been on Injured Reserve with a hamstring injury and practiced just yesterday, is being activated to the 53-man roster. (Edit: He’s listed as questionable.)
He was the NFL’s leading receiver when he suffered his injury. pic.twitter.com/YmmtMXm4Y7
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 9, 2024
However, this move only guarantees Collins is eligible to play. While it would seem strange to activate him and not play him, according to Aaron Wilson, Collins’ status is still being determined.
#Texans wide receiver Nico Collins is now eligible to play Sunday against #Lions. Limited in practice and questionable on injury report and status still being determined. Tank Dell was WR1 in practice all week @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 9, 2024
It’s yet another strange twist in the Collins saga. Just over 24 hours before kickoff, Collins’ hamstring is not about to experience significant progression between his activation and gametime. In all likelihood, the team would not activate him if they did not intend to play him. They likely already know his status, but just haven’t told us (or, rather, don’t want to tell the Lions). Either way, we will know for sure around 7 PM ET Sunday evening.
How Might Collins’ Absence Impact the Texans if Ruled Out?
We don’t need to speculate much on how Collins’ absence impacts the Texans. We’ve seen it for the past month.
It’s been a challenge for Stroud and the Texans without Collins. They were able to decisively defeat the New England Patriots in their first game without Collins but then lost two of their next three. Even their win was fortunate, needing a last-second field goal to overtake the Indianapolis Colts.
In Collins’ absence, the Texans have been increasingly reliant on running back Joe Mixon since his return from a Week 2 ankle sprain. He’s carried the ball 24-25 times in three straight games.
Stroud has had the benefit of the Texans’ quality WR depth to keep the offense afloat. Diggs and Dell are about as good as it gets for a team’s WR2 and WR3. But with Diggs now done for the season, Dell could really use his running mate back on the field. To make matters worse, Dell picked up a back injury at Friday’s practice and is no lock to play himself.
Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson, and John Metchie III will continue to serve as depth behind Collins and Dell. Once Collins gets back on the field, expect him and Dell to dominate two-receiver sets, with Hutchinson getting the most playing time behind them in a rotation with Woods.