There are so many things about the Houston Texans that begin with “I can’t believe it was only a year ago that ______”, and most of them believe the time has passed in the span of ten years. The past year has been a blur of progress, success, and greater confidence.
With that in mind, and in light of the Texans’ seismic trade for Stefon Diggs last week, today’s aspect of the Texans’ quick progress I’d like to explore is their wide receiving corps. Let’s go back a year, to Pro Football Focus, and see how the Texans stood in terms of receiver quality:
32. Houston Texans
The Texans finish last in these rankings because they lack a reliable passing option on their squad. I prefer Robert Woods as a WR2 or WR3, but not as a WR1. I too enjoy Noah Brown, but not as a WR2. The same may be said for Nico Collins.
John Metchie III has the potential to be a solid player for Houston, but he missed the entire season last year. They did sign tight end Dalton Schultz in free agency, which was a good move. However, his presence lifts the floor more than it does the ceiling. Houston’s offense is still very much in rebuilding mode.
Yes, they ranked 32nd in the NFL, a league with 32 clubs. In other words, their receiving corps was thought to be the worst in all of football. As it turned out, the pundits (not just PFF) were WAY off. They did not anticipate Nico Collins’ ascent, nor Tank Dell’s. Those two alone would propel the Texans into the top third of receiver groups heading into 2024.
But then along walks Stefon Diggs, and everything changes. DRASTICALLY. In fact, the Texans now have the finest wide receiver trio on one club in the NFL. I’ve listed the ten teams that have receiving trios that are worth fighting against the Texans’ top three, in no particular order:
MIAMI: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Brazton Berrios; TENNESSEE: Calvin Ridely, DeAndre Hopkins. 3) Traylon Burks
CINCINNATI—1. Ja’Marr Chase, 2. Tee Higgins 3. Trenton Irwin
PHILADELPHIA 1. A.J. Brown, 2. DeVonta Smith. 3. Da’Vante Parker
CHICAGO 1. D.J. Moore. 2) Keenan Allen, 3. Tyler Scott MINNESOTA: 1. Justin Jefferson, 2. Jordan Addison, 3. Trent Sherfield.
TAMPA BAY – 1. Mike Evans, 2. Chris Godwin. 3. Trey Palmer
The LA Rams have Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacka, and Tutu Atwell. Seattle has D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
SAN FRANCISCO—1. Brandon Aiyuk, 2. Deebo Samuel, 3. Jauan Jennings
My “back of the cocktail napkin” argument for the Texans having the best trip is that (a) I believe Diggs and Nico Collins are close enough to the other top duos to be in the same neighborhood, and (b) Tank Dell, the Texans’ number three wide receiver, outperforms all of the other number three wide receivers on the list.
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