Over the last two seasons, Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins has established himself as one of the very best pass-catchers in the NFL. Despite missing seven games combined in the 2023 and 2024 NFL seasons, the 26-year-old wideout is one of just nine players with at least 2,000 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns over the last two years.
But this year more than ever before, Collins won’t be a one-man show. The big-bodied target who quarterback C.J. Stroud found instant chemistry with upon his arrival in Houston will likely remain Stroud’s first look, but one of the early takeaways from Texans training camp is that this new-look receiving corps has a lot of talent, and jaw-dropping speed.
“It’s like the Daytona 500. We’re running fast every play. Everybody fast,” safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said after practice on July 30, via the team’s official transcript. “I’m going to be honest, it’s probably one of the fastest corps I’ve ever seen. But they’re a dynamic group with different skill sets.”
Nico Collins may not be a traditional burner, but he’s a big-play threat who happens to surrounded with plenty of speed, including new additions Christian Kirk, Jaylin Noel, and Jayden Higgins, who has been earning rave reviews in Houston.
In Houston, Everybody Loves Jayden
Nico Collins is indeed the star, and Jayden Higgins may only be one of three former Iowa State Cyclones in the Houston Texans receiving corps, but he’s the one who is making a name for himself early on in training camp.
“Jayden has done a really nice job. I think our coaches have done a great job with all of our rookies,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said July 30, per Cole Thompson of Texans Wire. “He’s right where he needs to be. For me, I’m not comparing him to anyone else. Just for him and where he is, Jayden is doing a nice job and he’s improving every day. That’s all I can ask of him.”
On the opposite side of the ball, the Texans defense is taking note of what Higgins has brought to the table early on as well.
“Smooth receiver,” defensive back Jalen Pitre said of Higgins. “Like you said, he’s very tall and very long, but he has every route in his arsenal. So, you definitely got to play him honest. Then, obviously, like we all would guess, when it’s up in the air, he’s going to go and get it. So, he’s a great playmaker for us to have. I’m excited about what the future holds for him.”
Texans Offense Being Tested By One Of League’s Best Defenses
C.J. Stroud and this new-look Texans receiving corps have had their hands full each and every day during training camp, lining up against a Texans defense that isn’t lacking talent or swagger. To a man, it seems as though everyone on the defensive side of the ball in Houston expects to be the best unit in the NFL.
While many Texans defenders have been vocal about this group’s place in the league, DeMeco Ryans continues to view things with a steady head, looking for ways this group can improve. He’s also keeping an eye on how Nick Caley’s offense is stacking up with his championship-caliber defense.
“Defense kind of had the advantage there early on. We weren’t in pads. Defense was making a lot of plays. Now just see things balancing themselves out,” Ryans said on July 29. “We got a lot of guys on the offensive side who are getting really better and it really jumps out in that receiver room to me.”
Of course, it comes back to the receiver room, a young group that is ready to start their engines and fly all over the field.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson Gives Texans’ Nico Collins-Led Receiving Corps ‘Daytona 500’ Compliment