Nico Collins, one of the NFL‘s best receivers, missed over a month due to a leg injury. But the star wideout appears to be trending in the right direction ahead of the Houston Texans’ Week 11 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Let’s go over everything we know about Collins’ injury and potential return.
What Is Nico Collins’ Injury?
Collins suffered a hamstring injury during Houston’s Week 5 win over the Buffalo Bills. While running in for a 67-yard score, he pulled up lame with an injury that would sideline him for multiple weeks.
Here’s the play:
CJ TO NICO 67 YARDS!
📺: #BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/0wfq5acJXl— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024
Collins missed the following four games while on injured reserve. The 25-year-old was activated off IR in Week 10 but eventually was ruled out for last Sunday night’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
However, Collins could return for Houston’s Monday night clash with the Cowboys.
Is Collins Playing in Week 11?
On Tuesday, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said he expected Collins to practice this week and indicated that he was on track to play against Dallas.
“Any time you get a starting receiver back and Nico, a guy who’s been — before he was out, he was the top receiver in the league,” Ryans told reporters. “So, I think any time you get him back, it’s going to help everybody.”
Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV quoted a source who said Collins is “100 percent ready to go.”
Expectation is for #Texans star wide receiver Nico Collins to practice all week and then make his return Monday night against the #Cowboys per multiple league sources. 'He's 100 percent ready to go,' a source said @KPRC2
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 12, 2024
We’ll learn more about Collins’ Week 11 status as the week progresses. And seeing him listed as a limited participant on Houston’s injury report wouldn’t be a surprise.
Nevertheless, at this point, all signs point toward Collins making his long-awaited return on Monday night.
How Might Collins’ Return Impact Texans?
Collins can’t return soon enough for a Texans team that lost three of its last four games while averaging 20.25 points per contest. Houston also will play the rest of the season without Stefon Diggs, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 8.
“It makes things a lot easier for everybody on the offense,” running back Joe Mixon said Tuesday, via Wilson. “[Collins] brings that juice and that competitive edge and I think that’s what we’re going to need.”
'It makes things a lot easier for everybody on the offense. He brings that juice and that competitive edge and I think that's what we're going to need. It's a great thing for Nico to be back.' #Texans running back Joe Mixon on Nico Collins' return @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/dcI2xprBbU
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 13, 2024
Collins led the NFL in receiving yards before injuring his hamstring. His 567 total yards still rank 18th among all pass catchers.
With Collins back on the field, Tank Dell should slot back in as the No. 2 receiver, with John Metchie III, Robert Woods, and Xavier Hutchinson vying for the third spot on the depth chart. The field also should open up for tight end Dalton Schultz, who posted just 29 catches for 310 yards in the first 10 games.
Ultimately, this is all about quarterback C.J. Stroud, who hasn’t met preseason expectations.
Stroud was excellent in the first five games. But the last five contests saw him complete just 55.92% of his passes while averaging 197.2 yards and one TD pass per game. He also threw three interceptions and took five sacks.
Through 10 weeks, Houston’s offense ranks 24th with a D+ in Pro Football Network’s Offense+ metric.
Will Collins’ return help the Texans’ offense get back on track? We’ll just have to wait and see.