The Houston Texans are only three games into the 2026 campaign, but they are already staring at a must-win contest in Week 4. With a 0-3 record, the Texans are already at risk of seeing their playoff hopes vanish into thin air before ever really getting started this year, especially with the AFC South appearing to be quite competitive.
Over the past two weeks, Houston has struggled to find a way to move the ball in the air consistently without its top wide receiver Nico Collins on the field, as he has been dealing with a hamstring injury. Throughout the week, though, it has seemed like Collins has a great shot at returning for Week 4, and on Friday, the team made a final decision on his injury status for this contest.
Texans Remove Nico Collins From Injury Report Ahead of Week 4
As Houston has turned itself into a consistent playoff contender, Collins has turned himself into one of the best wide receivers in the league. He is fresh off back-to-back Pro Bowl campaigns, and as we have seen over the past two weeks, when he isn’t on the field, quarterback C.J. Stroud is often struggling to figure out where to go with the football.
Collins got off to a hot start in Week 1, as he caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills. Injuries have generally been the only thing that can slow down Collins, and sure enough, it was revealed ahead of Week 2 that he was dealing with an ailment that was going to force him to miss time.
Throughout the week, Collins has been tracking towards getting himself back on the field for Week 4, as he logged a pair of limited practices on Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, he definitively put concerns about his injury status to rest, as he practiced fully, which resulted in Houston removing him from the injury report entirely ahead of this game.
Texans Offense Gets Major Boost With Nico Collins News
Simply put, if the Texans wanted any shot at turning around their season, they were going to need Collins healthy and on the field. The team’s Week 4 opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, just beefed up their secondary, but when Collins is at his best, there aren’t many folks in the league who are able to cover him.
It will be strength against strength in this game when Houston’s defense goes up against Dallas’ offense, so if the Texans’ offense can get going, that could be enough to help the team come out on top. There are some other injury situations Houston will have to monitor over the next 48 hours, but it won’t have to worry about Collins, which is precisely the sort of development this team needs ahead of this crucial contest.
Texans Issue Nico Collins Injury Announcement Ahead of Cowboys Clash